Kitsune on Campus
by Asha'man of Fire
Summary: Naruto finds himself in a strange city, Mahora Acadamy. Unable to return to Konoha he begins a new life, but having to take take of a 10 year old mage and his class will prove difficult, even for him. Pairings undecided. Naruto/Negima crossover.
1. Prologue: Freedom

Okay so first story, been meaning to try this out for a while, and as I love both these stories I thought I'd combine them together, and see what people think. Criticism is welcome. This is just the prologue, but I've got chapter one written already so I'll hopefully post it in a couple of days.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or Negima.

Corrections: 13/09/10

* * *

Dark, it was dark. That was the first thing he noticed. Then the light shone from the left leaving him blinded and burned. '_So bright'_, he thought, _'too bright_.' He lifted his hands in front of his face to shield his eyes from the light. _'What's this?'_ he wondered, he could feel his hands and arms move but he couldn't see them at all. He glanced down only to realise he couldn't see his body at all, even though he could feel the heat the light was giving off on his body. That's when he started to panic.

'_Shitshitshit, what the hell is going on?'_ He stopped to think for a moment_, 'What's the last thing I remember?'_ he wondered. Unfortunately, his mind came up with a complete blank. _'Concentrate'_, he thought. Suddenly he began to feel groggy, his mind went fuzzy. The harder he tried to concentrate the harder it was to think.

"**Move you little brat. Freedom awaits us."** A voice growled out from the inky depths, surprising him.

"Huh. Where are you? Who are you?" he shouted back. _'That voice felt familiar somehow, and not in a good way.'_

"**Forgotten me already, brat. You'll remember soon enough. But for now move towards the light."**

"No way in hell I'm goin' near the light. You do know what happens to people who go towards the light, don't you?"

"**Not this time, foolish mortal. Now move!"**

"Why should I trust you' he shouted back."

The voice replied in a rather smug tone, **"Because, brat, like all other times before, you have no choice."** He knew the voice was right, he had no choice in the matter, and so he began to struggle forward. He hadn't noticed before, how thick his surroundings were, he felt like he was moving against the current.

"**Move, flesh bag, you're almost there**", the voice called out, sending a shiver up his spine. Again, he had the feeling that encouragement from that voice was wrong, but still he struggled onwards.

'_So close, just a bit further, come on,'_ and finally he was standing, well existing, in front of the light, which he realised lead somewhere. _'I should have known that'_ he admonished himself. _'Why didn't I know that?'_

"**Stupid human, take the final step, achieve your freedom."** And he did.

* * *

If anyone was observing the world tree at the moment, they would be rather surprised to see a 16 year old, blonde haired boy with golden eyes that looked like a frogs, seemingly rimmed with way to much red eyeliner and a set of whisker marks, three on each side of his currently filthy face and with great difficulty, climb out from under its roots, before finally collapsing against the trunk. Wearing an orange and black jumpsuit, a red cloak with black flames at the bottom and an extremely large scroll strapped to his back, all covered with dirt, he was Uzumaki Naruto and he was just unsealed. They would have been even more surprised to observe those eyes return to a bright blue and the eyeliner to disappear. Luckily for him, no one was.

As soon as he was out from under the tree, Naruto sat down, leaning against its gigantic trunk. Naruto was no stranger to large trees but even in the dark he could observe that it was abnormally large, even by his standards.

With freedom from the tree and the seal, he was finally able to think clearly again, and as soon as he could he released the sage chakra, and was rather surprised to feel the tree at his back absorb the freshly freed energy. '_Weird,_' Naruto thought, before feeling profoundly exhausted. '_What, why is my chakra so low?_' he asked himself. _'OY, Fuzz ball, what happened to all my energy?'_

Before he could even blink, he was standing in his Mindscape, more specifically in front of a massive cage, with the doors held together with an intricate spiral seal. Behind the bars crisscrossing bars, cloaked in shadow, a giant animal stirred. It was the Kyuubi, the most powerful of the nine Bjuu.

Although it was difficult to see properly, Naruto just barely make out some of the arch like restraints placed on it. Still, it looked healthier than it had after he's taken its chakra for himself.

The glowing red eyes turned to him and the mouth opened with a grin. The only thing Naruto could think before it began to speak was, _'He looks way too happy, that cannot be good.'_ He was right.

"**How did it feel, Brat, being Sealed like I am?**" It growled, in a highly mocking tone.

"Sealed, what are you talking about Baka-Kitsune?"

"**You were sealed insolent brat, into the very earth itself. We're lucky to have escaped what was looking to be our eternal prison. You should be more grateful to me."**

"Why the hell should I?" was the quick and angry response.

"**Because, if it wasn't for me watching for a weakness in that blasted seal, we would still be trapped."** The Kitsune yelled back.

"I suppose," Naruto despondently responded, before quickly perking up. "How come all my chakra's gone? I don't remember the battle being that tiring. Me and that bastard in the mask had just gotten started."

"**That man**,' the Kyuubi ground out, **"led you on into his trap, leading us into the current situation."**

"That doesn't answer my question, why-is-all-my-chakra-gone?"

"**That tree absorbed it as it grew. I can feel our combined energies practically bursting from within it. You're currently experiencing severe chakra exhaustion and so it will probably take a week for you to fully recover. You're lucky though, as this lack of chakra came entirely from the spiritual side; your physical body shouldn't suffer from the side effects…. Probably."**

"What about you?"

"**What are you talking about, brat."**

"You said you could feel OUR combined energies, not just MY chakra."

"**How very observant of you," **it responded slowly.** "It will take me longer to recover all my chakra, that's why it's going to take so much longer for you to recover, I don't have the chakra to spare to speed up the process. This also means that you will heal slower than usual and that all the pleasant side effects of my sealing will be less effective than normal."**

"That's fine," Naruto said. He would just have to be careful until it returned. "See ya, Fuzz ball!" he yelled, turning away from the Kyuubi as he prepared to leave.

"**Not so fast, human."** The Kyuubi's voice, suddenly very happy again, called out**. "Don't you want to know how long you were sealed for?"**

Naruto quickly spun round, face paling as he realised what the fox had said earlier, "**What was looking to be our eternal prison**". "How long?" Naruto managed to choke out. He knew the Kyuubi wouldn't be that happy unless it had been a very long time. "Years, decades? What?" he finally burst out with.

"**Only a few of millennium, brat, nothing to be worried about."** He tried to hold it in, but it was to much, and a mere two seconds later the Kyuubi burst into laughter at the sight of his containers pale, sweat covered face, adorned by a look of utmost horror as the full meaning slowly came crashing down on him.

'_Everybody's dead. All my friends, my family, gone.' _

'_No'_, he said to himself, before looking up at the caged Kitsune, "You're lying," he denied, "they cant be dead, not after how long I worked, not after all we went through together, they just can't be!" he shouted, nearly in tears.

The Kyuubi looked down on him, eyes softening. He may not like his container, but he respected him and all his hard work. Getting stronger, learning to fight without his aid; even for beating him and taking his chakra – all were worthy of respect. Even if it did make his escape more difficult, (Let it not be said he didn't like a challenge, and Naruto was nothing if not challenging). The brat had worked hard at making friends, even if he himself saw it as a pointless endeavour, and now those comrades were gone, the effort wasted.

"**It's true**," the Kyuubi began, all trace of humour gone**, "if you don't believe me observe the changes to your surroundings. We are not in a forest like we were before. The quicker you accept this fact, the faster you'll be able to adapt, and you know how important that trait is for our continued survival."** Those were his last words before he pushed Naruto from the Mindscape. After all, he wanted Naruto to despair enough to let him out, not become suicidal. A fine line to walk and the beast felt if he pushed now it would result in a fall. He needed to wait for the opportune moment, and this wasn't it.

The first thing Naruto did upon opening his eyes was confirm his surroundings. It was the dead of night, but even with the cloudy sky the moon was still visible and so the area was easily observable.

He was on a small hill, with the giant tree at his back, a large set of stone steps leading up to the tier below. This slightly elevated position showed him that he was at the outskirts overlooking a small city. _'Amazing, this place is easily as big as Konoha, maybe bigger.'_ He thought, staring out in amazement.

He could vaguely see a tower off in the far distance, and a small river running through the city, but what really draw his eye was the flashes of light taking place in the distance, and further on thousands of lights, obviously more of the city. Why this area was dark he didn't know, probably a blackout.

Being the curious person he was he began to stand up so he could take a closer look. He immediately realised this was a very bad idea because as soon as he tried to move his arms and legs a sharp pain assaulted him. His limbs felt incredibly stiff and just moving them proved difficult. He did not have high hopes of his legs being able to support him. "Heh, guess thousands of years in one position will do that to you" he muttered. Well, tried to mutter, only to find it difficult to speak. He got the felling that this would get really old, really fast.

That would be about the time what he currently saw finally sank in. This city was massive, and would of taken years, maybe decades to build. Even if the Fuzz ball had been lying to him about the amount of time spent sealed, it **had** been a fairly large amount. That would mean that his friends were old, if not already dead and that Konoha would be either rebuilt and greater than ever, or gone, whether as a consequence of not being rebuilt or by death through the ages was yet to be seen.

He needed information, and the only source of that he had right now was from the demon who lived in his belly button, and frankly, that was unreliable. Besides, even if he could trust his inner demon, it didn't have a lot of information to give anyway.

He had to treat this as a mission; after all this could be enemy territory and he did not want to get captured or explain his presence to other ninja unless they were allies, or at the very least friendly with Konoha.

This meant he had to move, now! That meant stretching the stiffness out of his muscles and so he began. Five hours later he'd made good progress, considering, and was at least able to move, but he was still very sore, and with a full five hours of exercise he was starting to feel exhaustion creeping in. '_Alright', _he thought_, 'I'll rest here till the sun comes up so I can get a better feel for my surroundings before starting operation_ 'Info-Search'.

Unfortunately, with his body like it was and the sun rising on the horizon he was going to be having problems with that. Seeing the golden rays was quite the eye opener to Naruto, as he got his first proper look at the city before him, with its beautiful buildings a sight to be hold, roofs that looked perfect for roof hopping and complex city lay out it would be perfect to hide in while conducting operation _'Info-Search'_ i.e. find out weather Konoha still existed or not, if so then what direction and how far, and if it didn't, then how far in the future he actually was.

If he really was as far into the future as the fox had said, then he would deal with that then. After all, as loath as he was to admit it, the Kyuubi was right; he needed to adapt to this situation or he wouldn't survive long.

And all throughout this rationalisation and exercise, he never did feel the tears as they continued to roll down his whisker marked cheeks, nor feel as the exhaustion made him drift off to sleep.

* * *

No definite pairings yet, so I'm willing to take suggestions on that front, but you'll need to give reasons. May be spoilers up to current manga chapters. Naruto time line is a few months after 430 and as for the Negima one, well, you'll just have to wait and see.


	2. A Job?

Okay, First proper chapter. First I want to thank everyone who reviewed for their suggestions and comments.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto or Negima. In fact, this is the last disclaimer I'm going to write for this fic.

Corrections: 13/09/10

* * *

The first thing Naruto did as he woke up was to wonder was when the hell did the ground get this soft, and why he was much warmer than he had any right to be after falling asleep outside. Then he remembered the events of last night, causing him to ask the exact same questions. Naruto very carefully opened his eyes, checking for other people, and more importantly where he was. He did not find what he expected. Instead of the prison cell he'd been expecting he found himself in a room that vaguely reminded him of a hospital examination room, with all the health posters on autonomy.

Naruto immediately pulled the bed covers off himself, to discover that the only thing he was wearing were his boxers. _'Damn, they must of undressed me when they put me in the bed.'_ Immediately, he began searching for his clothes, but to no avail. '_Argh, where the hell are they, and more importantly, where are my weapons?' _

Just as he was finishing his search, he heard the door begin to open behind him, quickly turning around he found himself face to face with a woman who had light brown hair, slightly shorter than himself, and with a rather noticeable bust. _'They may not be ass big as baa-chan's but still…'_

"Aah, I see you're awake, well this makes things easier," she began, with a light smile, "we were having trouble finding you in the records, so if you could tell us your name, age and class we can send you on your way."

"Huh, what are you talking about lady, where am I?"

Blinking in surprise she responded, "You're in the infirmary in the girls' middle school."

"Why am I in a school, and who are you?" he asked accusingly.

"I'm Minamoto Shizuna, the guidance officer, and you are here because a couple of the students found you lying outside, under the World Tree, unconscious, and this was the first place they thought to take you." She replied, her tone darkening. "Now, you will answer my questions. Who are you, and, as it perfectly obvious that you are not a student here, what is your business at Mahora Academy?" she questioned, making it perfectly obvious that she expected answers.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and you could say I was just passing through. Now if you'd excuse me I'll be leaving," Naruto said, making his way past Shizuna, a serious expression on his face.

"No, I'm afraid I don't believe you, and I'll be taking you to see the principal," she told him, turning to face him.

Naruto frowned, he really didn't want to try explaining himself to anyone, and he doubted he'd be believed anyway. "No thanks, I'll be fine," he told her simply. That's when he immediately slipped past her, making his way through the door and began to run down the corridor.

A few minutes later he had realised his mistake. This place was like a maze, and running through corridors was getting him no where. Slowing down he began taking a look around finding himself, finding himself in a corridor lined with doors, but no windows were to be seen. '_Damn, where's a window when you need one?' _

That's when he heard the foot steps, which seemed to be echoing in the silent corridor, making it hard to pinpoint which direction they were coming from. As they continued to get louder he realised that, yes, they were in fact getting closer, and yes, his stupid run had tired himself out much more than expected, and if the person was even remotely physically fit he would be caught. _'Fine then, one of the doors it is.'_

Picking one at random he quickly opened it, stepped through and turned his attention to the footsteps on the other side of the door, and waiting for them to pass.

* * *

As the door in front of her slammed shut the teacher sighed to herself before taking out her phone and placing a call. "Hello, Takamichi-sensei, the boy that was found this morning, he woke up and ran off. Could you find him and bring him to the headmaster? It doesn't seem like he knows where he is, or what's going on around him."

"Of course; what does he look like? Did you get a name before he ran off?

"He has blond hair, blue eyes, three whisker marks on each cheek and currently wearing a pair of dark green boxers, and nothing else; he looks to be 15 or 16 and he said his name was Uzumaki Naruto."

"Ah, I'll get to Negi-kun's class right away," Takamichi replied, obviously amused.

"Negi-kun class, why would you go there?"

"A young and naked teenager, where else would he end up. I'll bring the boy up shortly." And with that he hung up.

* * *

With his attention on the approaching footsteps, it took a few seconds before he felt the eyes. Turning slowly he found himself looking at a room full of young girls, with, was that a 10 year old boy at the front, yes, yes it was, all staring at him, all with a different look in their eye. Some looked simply curious, like the 10 year olds at the front and back of the class, a couple looked furious, like the red head with bells in her hair, _'She reminds me of Sakura-chan, note to self, don't make her any angrier'_, but the most prevalent of the looks was one he knew all to well. He had encountered it from the women, and some men but he didn't like to think about that, on the streets of Konoha ever since he'd had to walk home after training shirtless. He did not like that look. There was one expression that was universal on the girls at least, and that was a reddish tinge on their cheeks. Some where bright red while others only had a rosy hue, but yes, they where all blushing_. 'I wonder why'_ he thought, and that's when he realised that the woman in the infirmary hadn't given him his clothes back, and he was wearing only his boxer shorts, adding a blush of his own to the mix.

The step that followed this realisation, from outside the class room, was deafening to Naruto as he knew it was right outside the door, which was confirmed when moments later the handle started to turn, the door swung open and their stood a man Naruto had never seen before. He was a couple of inches taller than himself and looked to be about middle aged, with a slight beard and hair which seemed to be going grey. He took a quick glance at the class, who still seemed to be in a state of shock, before turning to face him. "You must be Naruto-kun. If you would just follow me to the Headmaster's office we can get this whole mess sorted out, and hopefully have your possessions returned to you."

He had been so caught up in getting out of the area that he'd forgotten all about his stuff, and with a chance to get them back, he was going to take it. Especially considering that, unlike what he had previously thought this place was very much a civilian school, and not some kind of lab or prison. The girls in the room were proof of that, what with there not being speck of chakra between them. "Fine," he muttered, "I'll go see this Headmaster you all keep talking about, but I want my stuff back, especially the scroll."

While Naruto took a quick glance at the girls he could tell that the surprise of his entrance was fading. Takamichi, noticing his gaze, said in a mock whisper, "I suggest we leave quickly, these girls can get quite… energetic, and I'm not sure what will happen if we stay any longer."

As soon he finished saying that the girls seemed to burst into action. Most asking who he was and why he was here, while moving forward, with that look in their eyes. Naruto was very afraid at this point. He was either going to be killed for perversion or raped. He very slowly turned to Takamichi, "I think that's a very good idea." He then immediately ran out the door and slammed it after the teacher had calmly strolled through.

"Shall we go then?" Takamichi suggested.

"Yeah, let's go," Naruto answered, feeling very afraid, though he didn't know why.

Being led through the corridors Naruto turned to his travelling companion and said, "So, who are you again? I didn't get your name."

"I'm sorry," he laughed, "I'm Takahata Takamichi, a teacher at this school."

"And why was I brought to a school; shouldn't I have been taken to a hospital or something?" Naruto questioned.

"You were found on campus, so were brought to a school infirmary. We were under the mistaken impression that you were a student here, other wise we might have done just that."

"Wait campus? I fell asleep under the, what did that woman call it, World Tree?"

"Yes, that's right, the World Tree is on the campus grounds, and you were found by some of our students, who brought you here."

"Yeah, I think that woman, Shizina, said something about that."

Here Takamichi frowned, "It's Shizuna, actually."

Naruto instinctively scratched the back of his head and apologised. "Sorry."

"Its no problem, but you should pay try to remember peoples names." With that the rest of the trip passed in an uncomfortable silence.

* * *

A few minutes later that arrived in front of a door which Takamichi announced as the Headmasters office. He knocked three times before opening the door and motioning Naruto to enter first. What Naruto found was not what he was expecting. He was expecting a frail old man, who he would immediately dislike. What he got was a frail old man who reminded him of his Jiji. This one had very long eyebrows that would put Lee and Gai to shame, a long beard, and an incredibly strange shaped head. Yeah, Naruto liked this guy from the get go, and so did what he did to all the people he respected, give them an insulting nickname.

"Yo, old man, you the headmaster?" he greeted with a lazy wave.

"HoHo, indeed I am," he answered, obviously pleased with the lack of formalities.

"Well then, why did you want to see me?" he asked, grinning.

"I wanted to meet the boy that crawled out from under the World Tree, of course."

"How the hell did you know about that?" Naruto yelled, obviously surprised.

"Hoho, you don't expect the man in charge not to know what's happening in his own school, do you," he answered, an air of mock importance surrounding him, while he stroked his beard.

"You've got a point; old people do seem to know everything." Naruto muttered to himself, but loud enough for the whole room to hear.

"Hoho, age comes with experience and wisdom you know. I do have a question for you though, Naruto-kun," he said changing from the light hearted tone to a much more serious one. "What are you going to do now?"

"Easy, find Konoha and go home."

"I'm afraid that that is not an option for you, Naruto-kun."

"WHAT, why not?"

"You see Naruto-kun, there are many legends about the World Trees origins, it is one of a kind, after all. One of the older theories is that it started out as a normal tree, which served a special purpose. That was as a grave, to a great hero of the land. Well, when I saw you crawl out from under the tree I immediately thought of this legend in particular, as I would have known if you'd gotten here any other way. Even now I can tell just by the feel of you that you have been here for a very long time. Much longer than me, even."

"So what, what does this have to do with anything?" Naruto pressed a tinge a panic creeping into his voice.

The Headmaster, with a sombre expression and a tone deadly serious, answered. "This legend is thousands of years old, and when I thought of it I immediately decided to do some research. This Konoha of yours was mentioned. A Ninja village, I believe. Apparently it fell over 3500 years ago. At least."

Naruto, shocked by the confirmation, fell to his knees. '_The fox wasn't lying then, it really has been that long. They really are dead._' he thought. He looked up at the headmaster, showing his pale face and eyes that looked like they were going to break into tears, and said a single word. "How?"

The Headmaster knew that look; Naruto was someone who blamed himself for everything. '_This is a train of thought I have to block immediately.'_

"I'm sorry, I don't know. I can tell you this; there was quite some time between Konoha's fall and the World trees planting. Even if whatever happened to trap you under the World Tree had never happened, you still wouldn't have been there. It is not your fault."

"Konoha survived my lifetime," Naruto stated, a spark of happiness coming back into his eyes.

"Yes, it did," answered a voice to his right, it was the Guidance officer, Shizuna, "and I'm sure your friends and family lived full and happy lives," she said, trying to comfort him.

Naruto smiled at her. "Thanks, but you don't know that for sure."

"True, but we can always hope," she countered. "Come talk to me if you need to, okay, if you ever need to find me, just ask around the school, I'm sure that someone will be able to point you in my direction," she turned to face the headmaster, and told him, "I've got to be going now, Sir," before bowing and leaving the room.

"Naruto," the Headmaster began hesitantly, "I want to talk to you about your future. Now, I can understand if it's a little to much for the moment, so if you want, this can wait for tomorrow."

"No, I'd rather get this over with now then wait," Naruto stated. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I am offering you a place at the school, and in exchange, you do a few jobs for me. It will help with your life and it will give you a good education meaning you can do what you want later on in life."

Naruto's only thought at this moment was _'Is this guy serious?'_ This offer had rendered him speechless, and brought a tear to his eye. Of course this tear was more due to his unstoppable laughter, then anything else, but still…

When his laughing fit had calmed down, he looked to the headmaster and said, "You can't be serious, but you are and that just makes it funnier. I already have my dream job, and I always hated the academy, and you want me to start over. Not gonna happen. I'm a ninja; if you have any missions I'll be happy to take them on though."

"Hoho, and what would constitute as a mission?" the headmaster asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, lots of things really, being a bodyguard, assassination, delivery, that sort of thing. There are very few things a ninja won't do."

"Hmm, then how about you become Mahora academies very own ninja."

"Oh, and what would be my standing orders?" he asked, going slightly into ninja mode.

"Defend the academy grounds."

"From what? What would I have to defend against?"

"Well, nothing really, I'd just rather have you around in case of an emergency."

Narutos answer to that was a yawn and a rather tired sounding, "Boring."

"Alright then, how about a bodyguard/observation mission, supplemented occasionally by the more dangerous missions when the need arises."

That got Naruto interested, "Who would I be guarding?"

"You would be observing/guarding a teacher at this school. I believe you may have met when you ran into his class room."

'_Hmm, I don't remember seeing a teacher,_' he thought to himself '_unless…_ "You don't mean the kid do you?"

"Yes, his name is Negi Springfield, and he is quite a gifted young boy. I want you to watch out for him, or more likely his students, when he finds himself to busy to do so."

"What would I be guarding against?' He asked, confused, 'or am I just gonna be a substitute teacher."

"You would be guarding him and his students against enemy mages."

"Hmm, and what is a mage, exactly?"

"Hoho, a mage is someone who can use magic.' Seeing Naruto's still blank expression, he continued, 'they are people with the ability to do amazing things, such conjure and control spirits and demons, or conjure and direct fire, or lightning. The variety of spells and there uses are enormous. I myself am considered a high ranking mage."

'_Sounds like jutsu, but, that can't be, they don't have any more chakra than a civilian should'._ "May I have a demonstration?" he requested.

"Of course, just give me a moment." The headmaster said, rummaging through his sleeves, obviously searching for something. "Hoho, found it," he said, pulling out a stick. "This spell is merely one for beginners but I am sure it will suffice as a demonstration. Practe Bigi Nar Ardescat," he recited and with that a small flame lit up from the tip of the stick. "Not even the wand is really necessary, but it becomes easier to focus by using it. This, Naruto-kun, is magic."

"That's amazing" Naruto stated, and he meant it. He could defiantly see the usefulness of even this simple spell, achieving an effect that would need more control than he possessed if he had to use chakra. What was surprising was that he couldn't detect any chakra usage, meaning that yes, this magic ran on something different from chakra but could (presumably) achieve similar results.

He smiled, this could be interesting, and if it was true Konoha was gone, he needed to do something. He still had questions though, but the longer he listened the more he wanted to stay. "So if I accept, I'll be protecting the kid and his students?"

"Not quite. You would be in charge of watching him, and would only interfere if you deemed his or his students lives in danger."

"I'll do it, but I have to ask, why give me such an important job, you don't know anything about me, how strong I am or even if I'm trust worthy?"

"Honestly boy, while I don't know how strong you are, I can tell you are someone who I would want on my side, and I can also tell that you are very loyal, call it intuition or just on old mans thoughts but I know I can trust you. Besides, the boy you'll be watching is very strong in his own right, and, while I hate to put it so bluntly, you are there in case anything unexpected happens. You are my fail safe."

"Thanks old man," Naruto replied, as he was genuinely touched. He understood very well what it meant to be trusted, and this old man was giving him that trust so easily. "I won't let you down, I promise. When do I start?"

"Officially, next week, during the field trip. This will hopefully give you time to get to know the area and become familiar with Negi-kun and his students. Whether you want to personally get to know them, or just watch is up to you, however I would appreciate it if they didn't know about your mission."

"I prefer getting to know them personally, if you don't mind," Naruto responded.

"Hoho, very well, I'll arrange an introduction, it would certainly make things easier."

"Thank you. What would be my cover on the field trip? As I've already said, I refuse to be a student."

The Headmaster looked at him with a beady eye, and with a small humph, declared, "If you're that adamant about it, I will arrange for you to be an assistant teacher, even if it's in name only."

"That's fine. So, when exactly is this trip, and is there anything else I need to know about?"

"Ahh, yes, there will be a teachers meeting about the trip in a couple of days time, I think it will be easier if you just attend that to learn about the trip. The only thing you in particular need to know is that on the trip, Negi-kun will be delivering a letter to a rival magical association, and he may be targeted."

"Alright then," Naruto announced, "if that's every thing… oh." It was only now, when Naruto was preparing to leave did he realize one important thing. "Umm, where will I be staying?"

"Hoho that had completely slipped my mind." The headmaster then began to mumble to himself, which Naruto had to strain his ears to hear. "Hmm, no room in the boys dorms, can't let him in the girls dorms, they'd eat him alive, no room in a teachers residence either, that only leaves…" and that's when the headmaster began to grin, "yes, there would be perfect and I was struggling to find an adequate punishment for what she pulled, this works out nicely." He then looked up to Naruto and told him, "I have an excellent place for you to stay, though one of your housemates will object, it is the only place I can think of on such short notice."

"While she knows about magic, I don't want her to know you know. At least not yet, it will be very amusing to see her squirm."

"Isn't that a bit mean?"

"Maybe a little, but she's being punished, and you'll take part in it. Think of it as your secondary mission."

"Alright then, let's go," Naruto announced as he began to turn to the door, before a cough was used to catch his attention.

"I would have thought that you would like your belongings, and of course, your clothes." Here the headmaster began to frown. "Though I think you might need a different set so that you can fit in better."

"Hehe", Naruto giggled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, "I forgot about those."

After quickly getting dressed and grabbing his scroll, he turned to the Headmaster and asked, "Sooooo, where is it I'm staying?"

"Hoho, of course. Takamichi, will you be as kind as to escort him to Eva-chans cottage and explain the situation to her. Will you also be so kind as to pick him up tomorrow and introduce him to the class?"

"Of course," Takamichi responded, before turning to Naruto, "Shall we be off then?" he asked.

"Lead the way," Naruto responded with a smile.

"Ah, yes, one last thing before you go, Naruto." At this Naruto turned around and was surprised at the serious expression on his face. "This is very important; if it comes down to a choice between Negi and the students choose the students, they are more important. Do you understand?"

"Hai, Headmaster." Naruto quickly responded, before following Takamichi out the door.

* * *

A couple of things. First, I want to apologies for the apparent ease Naruto had over losing Konoha, which is not the true case. He is getting by the belief that his friends lived happily, and that Konoha was around for some time. This doesn't mean he won't miss them though. Secondly, I know it seems the principal knows a lot, but I personally think he knows more than he's letting on in canon. Thirdly, yes in case you didn't realise, Naruto did spend the entire chapter clothed only in his boxers.

Finally, I want to know what people think of my writing style, which I have almost no confidence in. expect the second chapter to take some time. Chachamaru is hard to write for.


	3. New Home

Okay, first of all I want to say thank you to the reveiws. second, I have changed the ' to " now. Okay, on with the story

* * *

After leaving the headmasters office, Takamichi lead him quickly through the corridors of the school before finally reaching the doors. At this Naruto took a deep breath of fresh air, _'feels like I've been in that building forever'_. Takamichi quickly moved on, taking Naruto through forested lanes, _'evergreens, not good for tree climbing or jumping'_ the shinobi in him noted, before finally arriving in front of a cottage made almost entirely of wood. Takamichi immediately knocked on the door then began patiently waiting, while Naruto began fidgeting from nervousness.

Naruto didn't know anything about these people, and he was just supposed to move in with them! Name, gender, age, nothing, he didn't even know how many people he was moving in with. How stupid was that? He really hoped they weren't arrogant jackasses; he really couldn't cope with that right now.

When the door finally did open, it was not what he expected. It was a girl, who looked to be around his age, and who was about the same height as him. What surprised him though was that she had green hair, was wearing a maid outfit, and had what looked like strange antenna for ears. _'I don't care if a thousand years have past that just isn't normal.'_

She glanced in his direction, before turning to face Takamichi, bowing in greeting before finally speaking. "Good evening, Takamichi-sensei, do you have business with Master?"

"Yes, I need to speak to her about living arrangements."

At this the girl blinked, and he could already tell that was the equivalent of a huge gasp of shock for her. "Of course, would you like to come in while I call Master."

"Yes, that would probably be for the best." Takamichi replied, slipping past the girl and into the cottage, Naruto following in his wake.

Stepping inside he found himself in a room full of dolls of every shape and size littered around the room, many of which he found incredibly creepy. He really hoped he was living with a girl, otherwise this guy would be officially labelled as creepier than Orochimaru.

"I will alert Master to your presence," she informed them, "please wait here." With that she turned around and began making her way upstairs.

Once he could no longer see her, he let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding. Something about her creeped him out, he just didn't know what. Turning to his companion, he asked, "Does she live here as well?"

"Yes, her name is Karakuri Chachamaru, and she's one of Negi-kuns student, and if all goes well, one of you new roommates."

"WHAT!" cried a voice from upstairs, followed by rapid series of taps that the ninja identified as running. Moments later, a little girl, who looked no older than ten appeared at the top of the stairs, her face set in an expression of fury. Naruto vaguely recognized her as another one of the girls in Negis class. Giving him a quick glance and immediately dismissing him, she turned her attention to Takamichi. The quick dismissals were becoming a tad annoying, that was the second time he'd been ignored in as many minutes.

"You can't make me move, this is my home as long as I'm here, and I refuse to be relocated!" the girl yelled. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, but both were a few shades darker than his, she was wearing what he assumed to be the school uniform and he could detect a very high and mighty attitude in her voice and the way she held herself.

Despite her intimidating air, Takamichis reaction to her outburst was a slightly amused chuckle. "Eva-chan, whoever said you're moving out?"

"What else could you want, coming here to talk about living arrangements?"

"Ah, Eva-chan, you misunderstand, I'm not asking you to move out. I'm having him move **in**," he told her indicating the ninja. "His name is Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto-kun this is Evangeline McDowell."

The only thing that greeted this statement was a sense of silent disbelief, until, "You're joking right? You have got to be kidding me."

"This is no joke, Eva-chan, Naruto-kun here will be moving in with you."

"No, I won't allow it," she replied, steel in her voice.

"You have no choice in the matter."

"All students have a right to refuse to share a living space, even me." She fired back.

"Under normal circumstances you would be correct, however, after what you pulled last night, I would suggest you just allow him to stay. Otherwise you will be given a far harsher punishment."

"So, that little brat ratted me out then."

"No Eva-chan, Negi-kun didn't need to tell us, you made enough noise last night to alert us that you were up to something anyway. However, the Headmaster has decided that if you house this boy your actions last night will be forgotten" Takamichi explained.

"So my punishment is basically letting him stay here? Fine, I'll agree to that, but, wherever would I find the room?" she asked, taking a mocking tone.

Taking a look around, Naruto realised that she had a point, there really wasn't anywhere for him to sleep, except maybe the couch, and he wasn't looking forward to that.

"Oh, Eva, we know there is a spare room over there," Takamichi answered, a smirk on his face as he pointed to the back of the room, "no matter how much you try to hide it. Oh, and thank you for your cooperation."

Eva was obviously surprised that he knew about the room, and seeing as she had already agreed, she could no longer deny him. "FINE," she yelled out murderously, "he can stay, **but** he cooks his own meals, pays me rent and stays out of my way. Understood?"

Narutos response was basically rapidly nodding his head, an expression of fear of his face, '_That is one scary kid. Oh well, I've always been good with kids, hopefully she'll lighten up soon.'_

"Good." She responded to his non-verbal agreement, before rudely disappearing up the stairs, apparently deciding to have nothing more to do with him.

"Alright Naruto-kun, I'll be here tomorrow morning to pick you up, so I'll just leave you to get settled." Turning to face Chachamaru, he asked, "Will you show him his new room, and help him out please, Chachamaru."

"Of course, sensei. Please follow me, Naruto-san." She said, leading him to his new room. They had to clean up all the dolls in front of it before they could finally pull the door open, but when they did, Naruto was pleasantly surprised to find the room relatively clear. Sure, there were a few bits and pieces lying around, but nothing ten minutes of cleaning couldn't fix enough to make the small room completely liveable.

When they were finally finishing up, Naruto realised something. "Hey, sorry, but we haven't been properly introduced yet, my names Uzumaki Naruto, it's nice to meet you." He began, grinning and sounding entirely too cheery, "I'm sorry about imposing myself on you like this, but I don't really have any where else to go."

"I am Karakuri Chachamaru, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. While your presence here is inconvenient, it cannot be helped. Also, I would ask that you do not mind Master, she just needs to calm down, and after the events of last night she is quite frustrated."

"Why, what happened last night? Takamichi did mention this as a punishment for something."

"Master had a mild disagreement with Negi-sensei," she started slowly, "which led to a small violent outburst. She was not trying to hurt Sensei, but Master can get a bit carried away."

"Attacking a teacher, yeah, I can see you getting punished for that. What were they arguing about?"

"Master had been skipping class, and Negi-sensei wished for her to start attending."

"All that over a few missed lessons, it doesn't seem worth it. She's going to class now though, isn't she? I'm sure I saw her in there early today."

"Yes, she and I are now attending lessons." Finding this as an opportunity to sate her curiosity she began speaking again. "I have a query Naruto-san. Why were you in the classroom wearing such little clothing?"

"Hehe, well you see, I, erm, well, when I woke up in the infirmary I was a little confused, someone had stripped me while I was asleep, and er, I panicked and ran. I just ended up in that room by accident." All true, but not the whole truth either.

"I see" she replied to his ramblings, making it obvious she didn't quite believe him. "If you'll excuse me Naruto-san, I will retrieve a futon for you," she said, leaving the small room.

'_Okay Naruto, first order of business, learn to lie better._' He chastised himself. _'Second, think up a story to tell people about my past, preferably without ninja antics… crap, that's going to be a tough one. Let's see, it should probably be as truthful as possible, Kakashi-sensei always said the best lies always had a speck of truth to them. So, I should have at least a little combat experience, I'll say I was trained in self-defence. It's for probably for the best if I keep myself an orphan too. Where I'm from… I'll just say somewhere isolated, hopefully that will give me an excuse for any strange behaviour. Anything else I'll just have to make up on the spot, which isn't good._

Naruto was brought out of his musings by the return of Chachamaru with the futon. "Here you are Naruto-san," she said, handing his bedding, "If you will excuse me, I must prepare Masters evening meal. Unfortunately, I am unable to prepare something for you as that would contradict Masters wishes. There are toilet facilities two doors to your left, however we have no bathing facilities here, so Master and I usually bathe in the dormitories, meaning you shall need to make your own arrangements in that regard. If there is anything else, please feel free to ask."

"Actually, there is one thing, please could you stop adding –san to my name. I never did like being addressed with formal suffixes and we're going to be living together so please just call me Naruto."

"That is not a problem, Naruto," she said, bowing and exiting the room.

"See you, Cha-chan." Naruto replied, closing the door.

So far Naruto had spent at least half an hour with that girl, and while she seemed nice enough, there was something about her that just wasn't normal beyond even the strange ears. It was just something that made him uncomfortable which was strange because he really didn't find wrong with her. _'Guess I'll just have to get used to it. First though, I need to unpack.'_

Taking out the scroll, and opening it in front of him, he decided what to take out and what to leave in. '_Let's_ _see, camping equipment stays, first aid kit, out_' and with a quick pulse of chakra it was released from the scroll_. 'Weapons, hmm, no better stay; I doubt I'll need them quite yet.'_ Spotting three particular Seals, his gaze softened, _'well, if this is my new home, I better take them out'_ and with another three pulses of chakra, he had five items lying in front of him.

His favourite book, 'The Legend of the Gutsy Ninja', three photographs, one of his team, one of his parents, with his father in his trademark white coat, hugging a very pregnant red haired women from behind, and finally, the only thing his parents had left him, a three pronged kunai. Not that it was very useful, rusted and blunt as it was, but apart from the picture it was the only thing he had to remember them by, and that made it one of his most precious possessions. He could just stare at it for hours, admiring the weapon and its history, and it was often what he found himself doing.

Not this time though, as he was suddenly feeling very drained, _'argh, I had less chakra than I thought.'_ Turning to the first aid kit he thought to himself, _'I really hope there are some soldier pills in there, otherwise I'm screwed.'_ Luckily he did find some but they weren't quite what he was looking for. These were large dark brown balls, instead of the regular off-white pills. In other words, these were ones specially made by Sakura. Attached to the bag containing them was a note.

_Dear Naruto,_

_I know this self-induced exile will be hard on you, so I made you my special soldier pills, packed with all the vitamins and nutrients you'll ever need. I know you don't normally need them, but just in case. Come home soon, we'll miss you._

_Sakura._

This lead to a dilemma on Narutos part, on one hand there was only 3 of them due to their size and so he should probably save them for when he really needed them. On the other hand, a boost of chakra would be really nice right now. However on an unexplainable third hand rested the most important bit. Sakuras soldier pills tasted absolutely horrible and made him more likely to throw up than receive an energy boost. So that meant no soldier pills, except in a really, really big emergency, otherwise, no way in Kyuubi controlled hell would he willingly eat one of them.

'_Looks like it's just food and then sleep tonight. I should probably get to know my other roommate, too. What was her name again, Even-something… gah, it was long and foreign, and I wasn't really paying attention anyway.'_

'_Food first though, hehe, luckily I have ramen otherwise I'd starve.'_ Unsealing his stash of the instant noodles, he grabbed all of them before exiting the room to search for a kettle to boil the water. Quickly finding one in the kitchen, he was unsurprised to find Chachamaru cooking, though he was startled by the fact that it was close to being finished, just how long had he been in that room anyway?

"Hey Cha-chan, what are you making? It smells really good."

"It is a popular dish from my Masters home land. I believe they call it 'Fish and Chips'. Master finds it surprisingly appealing."

"Why is that surprising?"

"It is a very common meal, and it seems very unfitting due to her high-class upbringing"

"Even nobles can have fairly common tastes you know."

"You speck as though you have experience in such matters." Chachamaru noted.

"A little" he admitted. Seeing Chachamaru beginning to place plates on a tray, an idea began to form and Naruto asked, "Do you usually take her meals up to her?"

"Yes, Master prefers it this way."

"Hmm, Cha-chan, do you mind if I take up her food for you, I can take this chance to get to know her?"

"That is acceptable, but not advisable."

"Great, just give me a few minutes to prepare the ramen, and I'll take it off your hands," responded Naruto, completely ignoring her advice.

Two minutes later the kettle was boiled and poured, the food was on the tray, and Naruto was on his way up the stairs which lead straight to the room were Evangeline slept.

Hearing the footsteps on the stairs, Eva sat up and chastised her partner, "What took you so long, did that idiot really prove that much of a distraction?" However, the mop of hair that came into view was not the expected green, instead it was bright blond.

"Tsk tsk, insulting a person before even trying to get to know them, how could you?" Naruto said with mock annoyance, a cheerful grin clear on his face.

"What do you think you're doing, leave immediately?!"

"I thought you were hungry, don't you want your dinner?" Naruto responded, indicating the tray as he continued up the stairs.

Noticing the tray and the smell, her stomach growled while she blushed in embarrassment. "Give me the tray," she ordered, "then leave."

"No can do, Chibi-chan, after all, if were going to live together we should at least get to know each other a little."

"Ch-chibi-chan? How dare you call me that? As your landlord you will address me as Evangeline-Sama, got that."

"Alright then, Chibi-chan it is." Naruto said, nodding his head while completely ignoring Eva's command. Passing her the tray he grabbed his cup of ramen and sat at the foot of her bed.

Spluttering in indignation at the name, all she could do was take the take the tray off his hands as he seated himself and began digging in to his noodles.

"So, Chibi-chan, first of all I want to apologize for barging into your home like this, and if there was another place I could go I would, but this is where the old man sent me, so there is nothing I can do. We're just going to have to learn to live with it."

"I'd rather not have to deal with it, and you, Uzumaki, but I suppose it could have been worse." '_That old geezer can be a real pain sometimes, even for me.'_

"Thanks, I think. Also, call me Naruto, it feels weird being called by my just family name by someone much younger than me. I know, why don't you call me Naruto-nii-chan instead."

"Nii-chan? You want _me_ to call _you_ nii-chan." Her voice was dark and laced with disbelief which Naruto completely ignored.

"Yep, in fact I insist."

"No way in hell will I _ever_ call you Nii-chan."

"Why not?" Naruto whined. "I make a great big brother, I'd help you with your homework, and look after you when Cha-chan can't and I'd make sure no one hurts a hair on that pretty little head of yours." He continued, leaning over to part her on the head.

At this, Eva blushed in what Naruto took to be embarrassment but was actually white hot rage. _'How dare he touch me, and how dare he tell me to call him_ _that.__ Does he want me to kill him, he must do no one can really be this stupid.'_ She can be forgiven for this comment as this is her first meeting with one Uzumaki Naruto, living proof that anything is possible.

With that said and his ramen finished, Naruto hopped off the bed and proceeded down the stairs with a cheery, "Ja ne, Chibi-chan."

Eva was left stunned. She'd been absolutely beaten in an exchange of words. Partially due to him ignoring everything she said, and partly due to her being so angry she found it difficult to form coherent sentences. The last time she felt this way was when she was with the Thousand Master, and she did not like being reminded of that time. That man had got to go, she decided, she just had to think how to make it look like an accident.

As soon as he was down the stairs, Naruto immediately headed for his room, stopping only to put the empty ramen container in a nearby bin. Slipping into his room he went straight to bed, he had only one thought on his mind as he drifted off to sleep. '_What nice girls._'

Ah, Naruto, your ability to piss off women and not even notice astounds even me.

* * *

Only one thing to say at the end of this chapter. the thing that Naruto was unsettled by, can you guess what it is? ts sort of obvious. i will assure you though that it will not effect their interacton.


	4. The Lions Den

Naruto was dreaming about home. Key word being was, as just when it was getting to the good part, i.e. the bit with lots of ramen and the Hokage's hat, he heard a voice, and recognising it as the Kyuubi's, he voluntarily entered his mindscape. He was not amused by this turn of events.

"What do you want, Fuzzy?" he called, turning to face the cage.

The Kyuubi growled at the slur, but didn't say anything about it** "We have a problem." **

"What would that be?"

"**There is some kind of barrier in place restricting our recovery. The estimated 7 days for your recovery will be much longer, taking at least 2 months unless something changes, and your insistence on moving around just makes it worse."**

"A barrier? Who the hell would do that, no a better question, who could do that to me?"

"**While this barrier is slowing our recovery, it is not stopping it."**

"Meaning?"

"**Meaning that the barriers affect on us is probably an unforeseen side effect, which we will hopefully easily circumvent."**

"Why are you telling me this?"

"**Do not mistake me brat, without this knowledge you may have done something stupid, risking our lives. Remember, if you die so do I. Now be gone, filthy hairless monkey"**

* * *

With that, he was back in the waking world, where, if the pounding on the door were any indication, it was time to get up anyway. Stumbling up and out of his futon, Naruto scrambled to the door, grumbling "I'm up, I'm up."

Opening the door, he found himself face to face with Chchamaru, who said "Good morning Naruto. Master and I are now heading to class. Takamichi-sensei will hopefully be here shortly; therefore I suggest you get dressed as soon as possible." And as quickly as that she was gone and heading for the cottage door.

Naruto closed the door and got dressed, wearing his usual orange and black jumpsuit, not bothering to wear his cloak or hitai-ite. Grabbing another cup of instant ramen, he headed to the kitchen and boiled the water. While waiting for it to finish, he thought to himself _'Today's the day I meet Negi and start my new mission, my new life.'_ Grinning to himself he thought, _'I can't wait.'_ Hearing the telltale click of the kettle he poured it into the ramen packet. 3 minutes later he was eating it and a further 30 seconds after that he was preparing another. _'I guess all I can do now is wait for Takamichi to arrive.'_

Half an hour, and 6 cups of ramen later, Naruto was thinking about the Kyuubis latest news. A full 2 months till he was fully recovered, that could be a problem. Right now he probably couldn't produce a single Kage Bunshin, never mind a Rasengan. His only saving grace was that he still had a few days recovery time until the trip, which he was going to make the most of. Luckily his job was to only step in when absolutely necessary, so as long as Negi did fine, he was in the clear. Nevertheless, those soldier pills were looking more and more tempting.

Hearing a knock at the door, he opened it to find Takamichi waiting for him. "Are you ready to go?" He asked.

"Yeah, let's go." Walking in a companionable silence, Naruto concentrated on learning the lay of the land so he wouldn't find himself so easily lost.

A short time later found them outside Negi's class. Turning to Naruto, Takamichi said, "Okay Naruto-kun, I'm going to introduce you to the entire class now but before we begin, I feel that I should warn you that there are quite a few special cases in this class. Not all of them know about magic, but some are aware of its existence, while others have special traits and histories all their own that have nothing to do with it. Have you prepared a cover story?"

"Hai!"

"Can I ask what it is?"

"I will be saying that I'm from an isolated region, which will hopefully help with culture differences and any lack of common knowledge. Apart from that though, I feel as though I'll just have to make it up on the spot. Hehe, sorry" Naruto apologised, scratching the back of his head.

"Its alright, just report anything you've said about yourself to either me or the headmaster, and hopefully we'll be able to keep it consistent. Now, are you ready?"

"Hai!"

"Then come in when I call." With that said, Takamichi knocked on the door and entered the room.

* * *

Negi Springfield, 10 years old, Mage, was doing his job, teaching third year pupils at an all girl middle school. So he was rather surprised when there was a knock on his door followed by his friend Takamichi entering the classroom.

"Hey Negi-kun, sorry about this but I'll need to take a bit of you and your classes time. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

The students of class 3A looked on in curiosity, well most of them did. One, by the name of Kagurazaka Asuna was staring at the elder teacher with a look of longing. Another of the students, a certain vampire, looked on with mounting horror.

Takamichi turned to the students and announced, "There is a new member of staff at the faculty this year, and as he will be primarily working with Negi-kun and this class, I would like to introduce you to him. You can come in now Naruto-kun" he called out the door.

In came a blond haired boy, with bright blue eyes, whisker marks and wearing orange. He looked awfully familiar to Negi, though he couldn't quite place why. Walking up to stand beside Takamichi and Negi, Naruto looked at the class gave a cheery smile and introduced himself. "Hello, my name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I look forward to working with you all."

Hearing Naruto's voice, it finally clicked for Negi and many members of his class, "Eh, you're that streaker from yesterday!" Negi shouted.

"Eh, it's not like that, that was an accident, I didn't even realize I was naked!" Naruto yelled out immediately, trying to defend himself.

"That was mine and Shizuna-sans fault." Takamichi explained, stopping an argument before it could start. "We stripped him in his sleep so we could wash him and his clothes, but he woke up, panicked and ran before they could be returned to him. Sorry for that."

The students' reactions to this news both comforted the blond and sent a chill of fear up Naruto's spine. From the snippets of conversation he could hear, they were not going to maul him for being a pervert. No, they were more likely to maul him trying to get his clothes off. "He's got such a sexy body under that orange jacket, it's a shame he doesn't take it off. Wow, his eyes are gorgeous. Those whisker marks make him look so cute. We're so lucky; we get the super cute kid and now this super hotty." This, and comments like it were the general consensus of the class. Taking a step back from nervousness, well that and the fact that the girls were beginning to surge forward, he sought a distraction. Unfortunately for him he couldn't find one, and he suddenly found himself surround.

"Hey, how old are you?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"What are these whisker marks?"

"Where do you come from?"

"Will you go out with me?"

Frankly, Naruto was too overwhelmed to respond even with all the less than subtle groping. Thankfully Takamichi deemed it fit to intervene. "Now, now girls, let him breath." Backing off slightly the girls still looked at him curiously.

Blushing in embarrassment, Naruto asked "What were the questions again?"

In response one student stepped forward. She had short spiky red hair kept out of her face with a clip and pulled back with a ponytail, was a couple of inches shorter than Naruto and was wearing an armband that read Press. "Hello Naruto-sensei, my name is Asakura Kazumi, class number 3 and official reporter for class 3-A and I believe the main questions were as follows, how old are you?"

"16."

"Where are you from?"

"A place called Konoha, very far away."

"Where's that?" This came from one of the girls behind Asakura, though Naruto couldn't tell which one.

"Nowhere you would know, it's very isolated."

"Now that all of the boring questions are out the way, time for what we really want to know. Got a girlfriend? What do you look for in a woman, tall or short, big or small?"

Blushing again, and he had a feeling that this would become a familiar sensation, he stuttered out "N-n-no and don't know."

Finally taking pity on the poor boy suffering under Asakuras flood of questions, Takamichi interfered, again. Negi for his part could only watch in apprehension as his new colleague was overwhelmed by his students and take solace in the fact that it wasn't just him that didn't stand a chance against them.

"Girls, I think its time you got back to your seats so I can properly explain the reason I brought Naruto here." With a dejected sigh the students made their way back to their seats. "Now, as I said before, Naruto will be working at Mahora Academy from now on. His first job here will be to help Negi-kun look after you girls on the fieldtrip, so I decided he should meet you all first. The second reason I brought him here is that I will be busy for the next few days and will be unable to show Naruto-kun around the campus. I was wondering if the Strolling Club would do so." An immediate, loud and enthusiastic 'Hai' was heard from the twin pranksters of the class, while a much more sedate 'Hai' sounded from the resident kunoichi. Not that Naruto knew about any of this. "Thank you. There is one more thing; I would like volunteers to take Naruto-kun shopping. He doesn't have any other clothes than what he is wearing at the moment and needs at least a few things."

Takamichi got the response he was expecting, which was about two thirds of the classes hands shooting up and cries of 'Me, me, I'll do it!' Pointing to the one who put her self forward first, a cute girl with long purple hair, he said "Alright then Misa-kun I'll leave him in your care."

There was an immediate and large outcry from this announcement from the girls, directed at both Misa and Takamichi. "Hey, no fair, how come she gets to go?" "You already have a boyfriend dammit, save some for the rest of us" "More than one person should go, after all you don't know what she'd do to him if they were left alone."

"Hey, what kind of girl do you take me for?!" she yelled back, incensed at the last comment.

"Yes, more than one person probably should go, but I'll leave that for Misa-kun to decide. Well Naruto-kun, I'll leave you here so you can get to know everyone. Here, we've even provided you with a class roster." He said, handing him a green file. "If you have any questions, please come and see me or the headmaster at anytime."

"There is one thing," leaning in close to Takamchi's ear, he whispered "I really need a bath, is there anywhere near the cottage I can get one?"

"Ah yes" he chuckled, "I'd forgotten about that. I'm afraid the only practical place is the dorms. There's a large bath there that all the female students use. Don't worry though, as long as you go during class time, you should be safe. Oh, and one more thing, the headmaster is expecting bi-monthly reports. Good luck Naruto-kun." The 'you're going to need it' that was swirling in both their thoughts remained unsaid. With that, Takamichi was gone; leaving Naruto at the tender mercy of the class which looked like it was getting ready to collectively jump him again so that they could continue where they left off.

Deciding enough was enough, and that he really wanted to finish before something else happened, Negi finally stepped up. "Alright then Naruto-san, if you wou-"

"No." Naruto interrupted. "No -san suffix. I've already had this conversation with Cha-chan and Chibi-chan, just call me Naruto, no -san necessary. That goes for the rest of you as well." He said turning to the girls. "Understood?"

"Sure thing Naruto-sensei." Naruto twitched, part of him liking the sound of being called sensei, another part saying he wasn't really a teacher and didn't really deserve to be known as such. Deciding that that title was acceptable, if not preferable, he motioned for Negi to continue.

Before he could though, there was a loud yell as one of the few girls that hadn't mobbed him, and who had up until this point been extremely well behaved, stood up to voice her disbelief. "What the hell! First the brat and now him, a boy barely older than us, what the hell is going on?" She was student number 8, Kagurazaka Asuna.

"I have to agree with Asuna-san, what could we learn from an idiot like you?" asked the voice of Eva.

"Ah, Chibi-chan, that hurts." Naruto replied, clutching his chest in mock pain. "Luckily for you guys I'm not here to teach. I'm here to keep an eye on you when Negi can't. My role is nothing more than a substitute teacher."

"Why you, I'm sure that there are other teachers that could do your job?"

'_Crap, treading into dangerous waters here.' _Taking a deep sigh Naruto said "It's just, I have no where else to go, and the headmaster took me in. I wanted to repay that kindness and asked if there was anything I could do. He gave me this job, and told me to help out here until he finds something more suitable for me to do."

"Why can't you just go home?" Eva continued.

Flinching at the question, he debated whether or not to answer. Deciding it was best to do so, he hesitatingly began, "I-I don't have a home anymore."

Seeing the sad look in his eyes, the whole class decided to let it drop, at least for now. They were still curious, but were less in inclined to prod. Well, except for Eva, Chachamaru and Asakura. They just knew better than to push the issue in front of the class.

"I think that's enough questions for Naruto-san, we wi-" Negi began, before a flick to the forehead cut him off. "What was that for?" the child teacher asked, looking up at Naruto while repressing tears.

"Remember what I said about calling me -san? I meant it." Naruto told him, eyes glowing in ways that would be impossible in real life and that scared the hell out of Negi.

"H-hai, no –san" Negi stuttered. With that the glowing eyes disappeared and the happy grin returned allowing Negi to try to regain some composure. He then asked the blond, "Will you be staying in class during the lesson Naruto-s, Naruto?" He'd managed to stop himself from adding the suffix, but only after capturing a glimpse of the ninja moving his hand, no doubt ready to flick him again.

"No, not this time, I have things to do right now, maybe another time." Turning his attention to the class, he said "Um, for the tour and shopping, since I don't know my way around yet I think it best if you come and get me. I'm staying with Chibi-chan at the moment so I'll probably be there."

"Wait, who's Chibi-chan?" Kugimiya Madoka, number 11 and a member of the cheerleading squad, asked. Her answer was Naruto simply pointing to the girl who sat at the very back of the back. "Wait, you mean Eva-san?" she tried to confirm. Eva, for her part, was stewing in embarrassment and anger, being addressed by 'THAT' name in front of her classmates.

Negi and Asuna, however were quite shocked to hear him call the 'evil' vampire such a degrading name, and wondered if he'd be alright.

"Yep, so if there's nothing else, I'd like to be on my way."

"Wait," Misa called, "me and my friends are going shopping the day after tomorrow, so we'll meet you at the train station at about 10 o'clock. Is that okay?" She'd rather not go to Eva's place, that girl gave her the creeps.

"Yeah, that's fine." Turning his attention to the nearest strolling club member, in this case Narutaki Fuuka, he asked, "So, is tomorrow a good day for the tour?"

She just turned toward her twin, Fumika, and Keade for confirmation. Receiving it in the form of a vigorous head nod and a shrug of the shoulder, she turned back to Naruto and exclaimed, "Hai, we'll pick you up at Eva-san place, alright?"

Smiling, Naruto agreed. "Now, unless there's something else" here he paused, waiting to see if there was. When nothing presented itself, he continued on, "I'll be off then."

'_Alright then,_' Naruto thought as he left the classroom, _'where were the dorms again?'_

_

* * *

_

Sorry for the small(ish) chapter length and late update. It was sitting in my computer for awhile, just waiting to be checked and uploaded and now it has been. Tell me what you think.


	5. Tour

After quickly making his way back to Eva's cottage, he began to search for the dorms, and hopefully a nice bath. Climbing one of the nearby trees, without chakra, he spotted a likely building. Heading in that direction he was rewarded when he finally made it, a sign reading 'Mahora Academy Girls Dormitories' confirming it. Hoping the public bath would be easy to find, he quickly began his search.

Luckily the bath hall was easy to find, as there were signs leading the way. Seeing that the bath and laundry rooms were close, he decided that while bathing he should probably stick his clothes one of the many washer/dryer combo machines.

Clad only in a towel, he made his way into the bath hall. "Holy shit, this place is massive!" Naruto exclaimed. The place looked more like a large swimming pool than a bath, with elevated Jacuzzis dominating one part of the room while the majority of the rest was taken up by the bath, with exotic plants used for decoration at the far end and in an island in the middle.

Slipping into the warm water, Naruto began to relax, letting the water wash over him. Ducking under the water, he swam once around the island, before making his way out the bath to wash himself properly. Once he deemed himself sufficiently clean, he decided to relax in the water while he waited for his clothes to finish their wash. That was a mistake, as he found himself drifting off to sleep at the waters edge.

* * *

While the high ranking shinobi were well known for their quirks, Kakashi's porn obsession and Gai's youth quickly come to mind, and it was generally agreed that when you were high ranked enough you would need an outlet or you'd go insane, it was often forgotten that the same applied to kunoichi. Anko in particular was rather infamous for her perversion; she was by no means the only one who was a bit off though. Tenten had her weapon fetish and Sakura, who was so anti-pervert that some men were afraid to go near her, gave Naruto a decidedly fearful view of women. The only two kunoichi he thought this didn't apply to were Hinata and Kurenai. This was of course before he found out that one had spent a good portion of her life stalking him and the other liked to create new and horrific Genjutsus in her spare time, only to test them on men who crossed her. He knew, at least in the back of his head, that these were just one aspect of the girls in his life, and that they were all different and many were unlikely to lash out, but Naruto was still kind of scared of making women angry. With this kind of past experience, Sakura in particular, can you really blame him? To make matters worse, if Jariya had taught him anything, it was that seeing women in the nude without their permission made them very _very_ angry.

He was therefore rather justified of being scared out of his wits when he awoke to the sound of distinctly female voices. _'Oh crap'_ Naruto thought, _'if I'm found, I'll be killed.'_ Naruto seemed to be forgetting that he was dealing with civilian women, scratch that, teenage girls who couldn't do him any real harm (probably, you never know with the girls in Mahora, but he didn't know that) and not the deadly and often slightly psychotic kunoichi he was used to dealing with. Fearing for his life, he dived under the water and swam to far end of the island.

"We're going to get caught one of these days you know." said one of the girls.

"You worry too much, who's going to catch us?" Another replied.

"Oh, I don't know, one of the teachers, or the cleaners, or even a senpai." The first voice sarcastically remarked.

A third voice chimed in "Relax, everyone else is in class, nobodies going to be here any time soon."

"Maybe this time, but what about next time. Someone's bound to notice us skipping class eventually." The first voice remarked, while several splashing noises indicated that they were now in the water.

"Fine, if you don't want to come, don't, you just let yourself die of boredom in class."

The first voice made a disgusted noise, "Argh, don't remind me. Sensei puts me to sleep every time."

"Hey, hey, speaking of sensei, did you hear about the new one?" the third girl asked, excited.

"Yeah, I heard about it at lunch. Why do the 3-A girls get all the good teachers, why couldn't we?" came from the second girl.

"What are you taking about, what new teacher?"

"What, you haven't heard? There's a new teacher about and apparently he's a total hunk. Gold spun hair, sapphire orbs, whisker like lines adorning his face, he sounds amazing."

"Ritsu," the voice began deadpanned "don't ever talk like that again."

"What" she squawked indignantly, "why not?"

"It freaks me out and makes you sound like an idiot, so stop. Anyway, the teacher sounds good, but you know I'm not interested in old men, so it doesn't matter to me."

"That's just it" the third giggled, "he's only 16, at least that what I heard."

"Yui, you better not be messing with me."

"No, no" the voice now known as Yui said, "it's true."

"Where?"

"Huh? Where what?"

"Where is he, I want to meet him. **Now**." She elaborated, her voice demanding.

"Calm down Ryoko, no one knows where he is right now; apparently he just disappeared immediately after introducing himself. Besides, we just got in and I don't feel like getting out just yet."

Ryoko deflated as she relented, understanding the sense in her friends words, "Alright, but were going to find him as soon as possible. I really want to meet him."

"Yeah, me too." Ritsu agreed.

As Naruto hid and listened to the conversation, he had three thoughts racing through his mind, _'Oh shit, don't come any closer', 'oh crap, the entire school already knows about me'_, and finally _'oh Kami those girls look good.'_ Hey, he is still a 16 year boy, what do you expect?

Half an hour of random chatter and the latest gossip, mainly about Naruto, the three girls finally left the bath. A further 5 minutes later, when he was sure they were gone, a very dizzy Naruto followed and headed to the laundry room to pick up his clothes. Quickly getting dry and dressed, he set off back to the cottage.

He didn't even make it out the dorms before being spotted by half the class on their way home. Luckily for him this half contained Negi and some of his more sensible students so Naruto wasn't in much danger of attack.

However, that didn't stop some of the more curious students from asking questions which for the most part he refused to answer. After finally disentangling himself from them all, he waved goodbye and headed for Eva's, hoping for food and rest. He was surprisingly drained from the day's encounters, and just wanted to sleep and eat.

Unfortunately Chachamaru still refused to make him anything as per her Master's orders. Fortunately he still had his stock of ramen so he wasn't exactly starved either. After eating Naruto spent a short while going through the class roster, especially the files on those he was going to be spending time with tomorrow and the day after, before opting for another early night and he soon found himself drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Waking up the next morning was an interesting experience for Naruto. After all it's not everyday you get two 15 year old twins jumping into bed with you. Unfortunately for him they did so rather violently with lots of screaming as an added bonus. To further ruin the moment they were the Narutaki twins, and therefore had the physique of ten year olds. Suffice to say it wasn't Naruto's best wake up call. Then again, there had been worse, like the time he had awoke to the sound of rustling cloth and opened his eyes to a naked Ero-Sennin. He still felt queasy just thinking about it.

Pushing the twins off of him, he looked to the gaping doorway to find the impassive face of Chachamaru and an amused Keade who was trying and failing to hide her giggles. Glancing at the twins now sitting on either side of him, he noted that while they both looked like they were about to be scolded, only the one on his left looked like she had any remorse at all. The one to his right, while showing the same expression as her twin sister, it was obvious to him she was faking it and thought the wake up call was worth the telling off.

Chuckling, he turned to the right hand twin who, now that he was a little more awake, he recognised as the older twin, Fuuka "I can already tell, you're a prankster, right?" he said before turning to Fumika "and you're the one who she drags along, kicking and screaming the entire way, even though you do enjoy them."

As they showed identical looks of shock, he grinned, "I used to be a bit of a prankster as well, so I can tell just by looking at you." _'Well, that and reading it in the class files but you don't need to know that._' He thought to himself.

Shooing them out of his room, he closed the door in the faces of the girls so he could get dressed. They found themselves rather disappointed when he came out in the same clothes that they saw him in yesterday.

"So, what's the plan for today, campus tour?" Naruto asked.

Keade answered, "Just showing you around the area and the more important places on the campus Naruto-sensei. Mahora Academy is much too large to show you everywhere in one day, so, seeing as you're staying in the girls' middle school section, it seems best to focus on there, at least for now."

"Alright then, let's go." Naruto declared motioning the girls to lead the way.

The twins ran ahead, giggling like grade schoolers, leading Naruto to mutter "Are those girls really 15?"

"Hai," responded Keade, causing Naruto to jump in response, he didn't think he'd been loud enough to be heard "though we may not look like it all of us in the class are the same age, de gozaru."

"Yeah, but I'd never be able to tell," he said, casually stepping over a trip wire. "So, where are we going first?"

"Hmm, how about I show you the gym? From what I saw of you yesterday, you look like you keep yourself fit."

"That sounds great!" he exclaimed, as they simultaneously dodged a flurry of water balloons filled with green paint, "but shouldn't we call those two back. What are they doing anyway?"

"I'm sure they heard us and will be heading there now de gozaru." Giving a light chuckle, she continued, "probably laying pranks for us along the way."

"Do they do that a lot then?"

"They're usually more restrained but they often try to prank me, especially during club activates. I must say that I'm surprised though, you're not falling for any of their pranks."

"What pranks?" Naruto replied, honestly puzzled.

"The trip wire, those water balloons, the 3 pit fall traps, the 7 nets and at least one attempt to steal our clothing."

"Nope, didn't notice."

Keade sweat dropped, she didn't have a response to that, and so they simply continued on their way.

10 minutes and 7 dodged traps later they arrived at the gym to find it mainly filled with middle school girls, who slowly began to notice the new arrival as he was being shown around.

"This is the middle school gym," Keade explained as the twins sulked behind them, "at any one time 21 different clubs could be practising in here so it can get kind of busy. There's volleyball, dogdeball, basketball-"

"Which we suck at." Fuuka mumbled.

"- and then there is the gym area up stairs. It has running machines, weight lifting and plenty of training equipment de gozaru."

"Oh, I'll have to have a look then."

"You'll have to see another time; we have a lot to show you today and not much time to do it."

"Okay then, where to next?"

The day was then spent as Keade showed Naruto what she thought were the more important parts of the school, which widely ranged from the pool to the giant, multi-storeyed cafeteria to the dorms and everything in between.

On the way to their final destination, which, according to Keade would amaze him, Naruto dropped back a little, intent on getting to know the twins better.

When they noticed his approach, they instantly went on guard, and replied to his greeting with a stiff and overly polite "Konnichiwa, Uzumaki-san." Well, Fuuka did, Fumika just turned into a nervous wreck.

Ignoring the irksome formalities used, Naruto kept his voice as quiet as possible and began "So, I hear you keep trying to prank Keade, but have yet to succeed."

"That is true Uzumaki-san, but what business is it of yours?"

"Well Fuuka-chan," he said, grinning, "I was wondering, do you want any help?"

Her reply was simply a wide grin, while Fumika let out a low groan.

* * *

When Keade first noticed that Naruto was slowing down and talking to the twins, she thought nothing of it, he was there teacher after all, and had every right to get to know his new students. However, when the more mischievous twin broke into a wide grin, an uneasy feeling overcame her, and when all three of her companions disappeared, the feeling only grew. Strangely, she wasn't bothered by Naruto wondering off, as he was probably with one of the twins, and they would know where she was heading, so it wasn't like he would get lost. However, she **was** bothered by the idea of Naruto wondering off with the twins, which confused her greatly. The more time passed, the more the feeling grew.

Five minutes from her destination, she found out the reason for her growing discomfort.

Turning a corner in the strangely quiet streets of Mahora, Keade noticed a trip wire. Glancing left and right, she spotted an open tin of blue paint. '_That's sloppy, they're usually better than this._' On guard, she took a closer look, finding a second wire, this one at bust level and finally a third wire a few feet from the first. Shaking her head, she let out a small smile '_Better but not good enough.' _

Ducking under and stepping over the first two wires, she was caught by surprise when the ground beneath her right foot slipped away, causing an impromptu performance of the splits. Her foot immediately hit the third trip wire, causing three separate tins of paint to careen towards her, blue from the front, pink in the back and neon orange from above. Caught completely off guard, she was quickly covered in paint. Even so, a large smile spread across her face. They'd finally got her; the prank was quite ingenious in execution, and even though the fallen paint trick was rather over used it didn't matter. She was looking more at the how than the what with.

* * *

When Naruto and the twins came for around the corner, each wore a different expression on their face. Fuuka was visibly excited yelling and screaming to celebrate her success. On the opposite side of the spectrum was Fumika, who was shaking with either suppressed laugher or outright terror, it was difficult to tell. Naruto was in the middle of these two expressions, openly smiling, but with a hint of nervousness. So it was with a great deal of surprise for Naruto and the twins to find a grinning Keade absolutely soaked in brightly coloured paint.

"Hahaha, well done you two, maybe you're ready for the next level after all. I'm so proud of you both," she announced, "as soon as we're back from the Kyoto trip I'm upping your training."

Both faces instantly lit up, asking "Really, do you mean it?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Yes!" they exclaimed, hands clasped as they danced in celebration. Naruto just looked on in, bemused and just a little curious. "What you talking about, what kind of training?"

Letting out a small smile, she answered "Can't say, it's a secret."

He found himself turning to the twins in search of an answer, but they gave him identical guilty looks, mimed sealing their mouth shut and mumbled that it was a secret.

Sighing, he let the matter drop, at least for now. "Well, I guess the tour's over."

"Why would you think that, de gozaru? There's still the final destination."

"Well, yeah, but I'd thought you'd want to go home and change."

"Yes, you're right, I will be, but that doesn't stop Fuuka-chan and Fumika-chan from taking you there themselves."

"Oh, okay then, I suppose that's fine."

"Hey, what do you mean 'you suppose', what's wrong with us." Fuuka demanded, "We're the ones who gave Negi his first proper look around here, I'm sure we could finish yours off." She said in a huff.

"Yeah, your right, sorry." He apologised, scratching the back of his head, before a grumble was heard. As the girls pointedly stared at the source of the noise, Naruto chuckled and said "Guess I'm hungry."

"There's a food stand there, so you can get something to eat there." Fuuka told him.

"Saying 'there' twice in a sentence makes you sound stupid." Keade chastised, while Fumika giggled at her sisters embarrassment.

"Alright then, let's go!" Naruto said, "Thanks for the tour, I'll see you on the trip." he told Keade, before rushing off with the twins.

The Narutaki twins, while short, were much faster runners than Naruto thought possible, fortunately for him even though he wasn't at 100% he could still easily keep up with them. However when he arrived in a large area right in front of the World Tree, he stopped short. He'd rather not be anywhere near the World Tree, and it was making him rather anxious, it had after all been his prison for the last few thousand years. His anxiety and unease only grew as he noticed the twins were heading straight for it, quickly making their way through the expansive courtyard in front of it. Naruto found himself reluctantly following.

They led him straight to the tree, and then to his horror began to climb. Ignoring his urge to stay the HELL away and the burning in his naval, he followed them up. They all stopped and stood on one of the lower branches, which was still high enough to give a largely unrestricted view, one he vaguely recognised as what he saw when he first arrived. The only difference was the lighting, and while Mahora looked amazing by the moonlight, it was dazzling by sunlight.

The next hour was filled with the two girls vying for his attention as they pointed out some of their favourite places with promises to take him another time as they owed him so much for the practical joke idea. They also enthusiastically told him all about the World Tree and its legends, something they seemed very interested in, especially the love confession rumours.

When they finally started to make their way down the tree, Naruto noticed something. Where he'd been standing the wood of the tree branch had grown, attempting to swallow his feet, effectively leaving his footprints in the wood. Screaming like a little girl he slid down the tree trunk on his back.

"Naruto-sempai, are you alright!" Fumika shouted out as they sped the way down the tree, jumping the final few feet. Meanwhile, Fuuka outright laughed at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," and he was, surprisingly. The only pain he felt was a stinging on his back from where he'd slid down, and was likely to have a large scrape, but that was nothing for a ninja. "I think that's about it for the tour though, unless there's anything else you want to show me."

As the younger twin gave a sigh of relief the elder sisters' giggles began to taper out, they shook their heads and Fumika said, "I think the only thing left for today is to eat."

"Finally, I'm starving." Naruto said as he made his way to the nearest food stand, this one called the Chao Bao Zi. When Naruto's escorts caught up with him they enthusiastically greeted the two young chefs behind the counter, girls he now recognised as in his class. Both girls had dark hair, but while one had it tied in buns and braids the other just had it tied to either side of her head using clips. Both were the same height, a few inches shorter than his 5 foot 8, but each had vastly different body structure. One was thin and lithe while the other was rather chubby. Both however wore very friendly smiles.

"Good evening sensei how was your tour?" the bigger one asked.

"It was good, I really learned a lot about this place." Naruto replied. "Um, I haven't learned everyone's name yet, you are?

"I'm Yotsubu Satsuki, student number 30, and this is Chao Lingshen, student number 19." She told him, indicating first herself then her colleague.

"Nice to meet you." He said, giving them both a grin.

"Here, some nikuman," Chao offered, "I know you'll love them, Naruto-kun."

"Thank you Chao." Taking a hesitant bite, he discovered that these buns tasted amazing. "These taste so good, are there any more?"

"Yeah, plenty more coming right up."

He spent the rest of the evening gorging himself on the meat buns and chatting with his students. That is until he heard something that stopped him cold.

"Thanks for treating us sensei, we really appreciate it." said Fumika.

"Me? I don't have any money; I thought you two were paying."

"What, us? We don't have the money to pay for all this."

"What do you mean you don't have any money to pay?"

"We thought you'd be treating us. You're the sempai after all."

"That doesn't mean anything," Naruto argued, at this point close to panic. "Oh, I know" addressing Chao he asked, "I'm really, really sorry but can we pay you back another time. I promise to give you the money as soon as I get it."

"It's alright Naruto-kun, this time's on the house. Next time you won't get off so easily though."

"Really, you mean it?" She nodded. "Thank you, thank you so much!" Naruto cried, jumping over the counter and giving Chao a hug. Rather than be surprised she just smiled and patted his head.

Prying Naruto off of Chao a few minutes later the twins ordained it time to head home. Naruto, being who he was, offered to walk them there.

* * *

Halfway back, a load high pitch scream disturbed the peaceful night. '_I recognise that voice_,' Naruto thought as he sped in that direction.

"Hey, wait up!" Fuuka called, but he was already leaving them both far behind.

The girls yelling made her easy to track down and he soon found them down an alley. There were five large men, all dressed in crisp black suits. They were attacking a group of three girls, one of whom was unconscious and slung over the shoulder of a man while the other two were struggling against the four men crowding around them.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?! Get away from them!"

Two of the five men turned around and wasted no time rushed him while the one with the girl dropped on the ground and pulled out a strange metal device.

'_Heh, so_ _slow_.' Sidestepping one rushing man Naruto punched the other in the face, knocking him out cold. Turning to face the man behind him he easily dodged the fist aimed at his head and delivered a blow to his stomach which he followed up with a chop to the back of the mans neck, rendering him unconscious.

He turned his attention to the man holding the metal device shaped like an L which he was now pointing in Narutos direction. "Now lis"- the man began, but Naruto ignored him and, wasting no time, the ninja rushed his opponent. A resounding bang and a punch to the face later, the man was down for the count. Next Naruto jumped in the assailants' direction, both of whom went down before they knew what hit them.

"Hey, hey, are you two okay?" he asked the two conscious girls, one a tallish blue haired girl and the other a short brown haired girl. Both girls were obviously frightened, with pale faces and wide eyes, but they both gave shaky nods anyway. Catching sight of the twins he told them, "Take care of these two," and then quickly made his way over to the unconscious girl who was quite small for her age with light brown hair. Naruto gave her a quick check over which revealed that she was absolutely fine, there was no sign at all of her being forcibly knocked out.

"Don't worry about her, she just fainted. She'll wake up soon." The blue haired girl informed him. "She does it whenever she's frightened," she sighed.

"Still, I think I should take you somewhere safe. Why were those guys after you anyway?" the blond asked.

"I think they were after me, my father's rich and I think they were trying to kidnap me for ransom money." said the brunette. "They probably wanted to take my friends so that there were no witnesses. By the way, my name's Ritsu, this is Ryoko and the unconscious one's Yui, it's nice to meet you."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the new teacher." He told them. Taking the twins aside, he said "Alright, first of all, Fumika-chan, go find a teacher and tell them what happened, they'll know what to do better than me. Fuuka, look after these three, and stay where I can see you, there may be more.

"Hai!" they chorused as Fumika sped off and Fuuka turned her attention back to the girls just as Yui was waking up. This was a slow affair, with lots of groaning and muttering from the girl, until Fuuka grew impatient and kicked Yui in the ribs, forcing her back into the land of the living.

"Ow, that re-really hurt," she sniffled.

"Oh grow up." Fuuka snapped at her.

"Like your one to talk" Naruto muttered as he dragged one of the men out of the alley.

"What's going on, who are you and what happened to those huge men?" Yui spoke in a rush; eyes wide with a panic that crept into her voice as she quickly shook her head from side to side searching for danger.

"Its fine" Ryoko reassured her, "Naruto-sensei saved us. It was so cool," she squealed "he must have taken all five of them down in about 10 seconds flat."

"That's amazing." Yui breathed in awe and the next few minutes were spent going over exactly how he fought the men in exaggerated detail.

Takamichi soon arrived with Fumika and several uniformed men in tow. A few quick questions later, the men suit clad were taken away by the uniformed men who were this places' police. Apparently the kidnappers were something called Yakuza and they were kidnapping Ritsu to send a message to her father. They were trying to pressure his company but he was having none of it and this was set up weaken his resolve. With their capture they could find the leader and hopefully take care of the local group.

* * *

When all was said and done Naruto was joined by Takamichi on his way back to Eva's.

"I wanted to thank you for saving our students" he began.

"No problem, it is my job after all." Naruto said, grinning.

"However" Takamichi continued tersely, "I do not appreciate you involving those students who cannot defend themselves. You sent young Narutaki-kun off alone to get help. There could have been more and you knew it."

"I'm not that stupid. One lone girl who looks about 10 running out of an alley wouldn't have been stopped. It's true that if they were watching they would've known she was going for help, but they wouldn't have cared. They would've thought it was going pretty smoothly even with the runaway. It was only after a few minutes that they would realize something was wrong and by that point it would be too late." Naruto explained, every bit the professional shinobi being debriefed. "I could have sent both twins but in that situation two would hardly be better than one and would probably arouse more suspicion. Besides, those three girls should not have been left alone and I was to busy checking the captives to comfort them."

Sighing, the older educator backed off. "Spoken like a true professional."

Giving Takamichi his megawatt grin he said, "Don't get used to it, it won't last long."

* * *

Authors note: Hello readers.

Lets see: First of all, thank you for all the review, I really appreciate it.

2: As some of you may of noticed the three girls in this chapter aren't exactly mine, but then again they're not right either. I got the designs from K-ON and Suzumiya, but the Ritsu and Ryoko personalities I made myself. Yui's just Yui. I will also say this about them, none will be paired with Naruto, and in fact will not have much impact in the story, but they **do** have a purpose.

3: The last scene with Naruto and Takamichi was slightly out of place but I wanted to show Naruto's reasoning after the fight and to show that yes he can think ahaed and that he wasn't endangering Fumika when he sent her off for help.

4: Yes, just so there are no doubts, the third man did pull a gun, but Naruto wouldn't know what that is or what it does and so ignored it. It did fire but missed.

5: Congratulations to AznPuffyHair for guessing right but that'll be explianed later.

6: I think I need a beta-reader, so anyone intrested please PM me.

Alright then, next chapter is the first which directly deals with a manga chapter so we'll just have to see how that goes.

Pairings. I thank you for your suggestions but I don't think I'll focus on any thing of the sort for right now.

However I will tell you this, there are some girls who I have decided won't be paired with Naruto and I'm adding more. So far i have at least girls 8 gone.

Finally, this chapter was going to include next chapter as well but I decided to split it up cause it would take to long and this was long enough.


	6. Shopping Trip

Sorry for the late update, it has been what, almost 2 months? Truth be told I have had this more or less complete for about 2 weeks, but was slightly paranoid about one scene so didn't post it. a bit of tweeking and hopefully now it is fine.

* * *

Naruto arrived at the train station at the designated time of about 10 and began looking for the purple hair of his escort Misa. He found it a few minutes later with two other vaguely familiar faces. One was Shiina Sakurako, a cute girl with short red hair and the other was Kugimiya Madoka, another pretty girl, this time with short dark blue hair. He was beginning to think it was a perquisite it to be attractive in this school.

Deciding on a little fun, he snuck through the crowd until he was right behind them, so close he was surprised they couldn't hear him breath. As such he could hear what they were saying. He normally wouldn't eavesdrop, but as they were talking about him, he decided to make an exception.

"-liked him well enough, and Fuuka-chan loves him more than Negi-kun." Misa was saying.

Kugimiya Madoka, class number 11 added, "Yeah, but you know how Fuuka-chan can be. Though I do wonder what Keade-san thought of him. She came and went as soon she got changed so nobody ever did get a chance to ask."

"Well, we'll soon find out, though he is running a little late." Misa continued, annoyed at the last part.

"Am I? I've been here for a while now, you know." Naruto nonchalantly said.

"Kyaa!!" all three shrieked as they jumped out of their skins. Spinning around, red faced, Madoka harshly whispered "How long have you been there?"

"Just a few minutes, not long really," the blond answered.

"Good, it's not nice to eavesdrop on others' conversations." Misa put in.

"It's also impolite to talk about people behind their back." He countered, causing Misa and Madoka to blush again, and thee third member of their party, Shiina Sakurako, student number 17, to let out a giggle.

"I don't know what you're laughing at; you were the one who got us started in the first place." Madoka said. '_Ooh, I wonder what Naruto-sensei's like. What type of girl is he into? Those whisker marks are sooo cute; I wonder if they're permanent._' She continued in a bad imitation of Sakurako's voice. "On and on you went, all night long. Then, as soon as we got up, what did you start talking about? Naruto, that's what."

"Shut up" Sakurako yelled, blushing furiously.

"Oh, you're curious about my whisker marks, huh? What do you want to know?" Naruto asked with a small grin.

"Um, ar-are they tattoos?" she asked.

"No, they're birthmarks actually."

"C-c-can I touch them?"

"Er, sure, I don't see why not," Naruto answered, confused by the odd request.

Sakurako slowly reached up and gently stroked his cheek. She could feel a small difference in his skin, while his cheek was mainly soft; the marks were rougher, making it feel like he had real whiskers. "Amazing," she breathed.

"Er, thanks?" Naruto said, blushing. He was unsure exactly what was going on, but the feel of Shiina's soft fingers as she caressed him was causing his body to heat up and heart to go into overdrive. Especially considering she had complimented his whisker marks, something no one had ever done before.

Those who knew the Kyuubi was the source of his whiskers either had two reactions; one was hate, and therefore no compliments from them. The other was ignoring the marks and not mentioning them out of respect for his feelings. They thought it might hurt him to be reminded of how different he was. Finally, those who didn't know about the Kyuubi, like those his age when they were younger either didn't like him or thought them just another clan marking, which were so common in Konoha that such a thing wasn't worth mentioning. Truthfully, though he wasn't self conscious about his whiskers, it was nice to know somebody liked them.

"Ahem" Madoka coughed in an attempt to grab their attention. Sakurako, noticing that she was still stroking Naruto, quickly withdrew her hand. "Now that you've finished petting Sensei here, shall we go." She said, indicating the arriving train. Sakurako, too embarrassed to reply, meekly complied. Naruto and the other cheerleaders followed.

* * *

The train trip while short was rather boring for Naruto. The three girls spent their time talking about clothes, and their plans for the day, which Naruto only listened to with half an ear. He was more interested in the passing scenery. He was amazed at the vastness of the city he soon found himself entering. He had always thought Konoha was big, but it didn't hold a candle to Shibuya, the area he found himself in.

His first step off the train left Naruto stunned. There were so many people, all dressed completely differently. Not that he was expecting them to all wear the same thing, but the variety of clothing types was stunning. On the other hand, the cheerleaders didn't seem fazed by this at all, and when they noticed that he'd stopped in his tracks, merely started dragging him towards the stations exit.

Out in the open, Naruto was again momentarily stunned. He'd entered a large clearing absolutely filled with people, more than he'd seen in a long time. Again, the girls continued on naturally. Focusing back on his companions, he heard Makoka saying "Hey hey! That's not what we are here for! Don't decide to go to karaoke because the weathers nice! We're here to help Naruto-sensei buy clothes, as well clothes for ourselves for the free activity day on the school trip. Don't just goof off like usual, we have to properly prepare."

Unfortunately they completely disregarded her, and ran off for a crepe. Whatever the hell that was.

"Why don't those idiots ever listen to me, dammit? Y'know what, screw it, one for me too. Are you having one as well, Naruto-sensei?" Madoka asked as she caved.

"Um" he mumbled looking slightly uncomfortable, "what's a crepe?"

"WHAT!!" they yelled. "Well, that settles that, you're getting a crepe, same as us." Misa demanded, "Four goya crepe's please?" she ordered.

"You sure, they're bitter?" the shop keeper asked.

"Yep, now hand them over." Misa answered, preparing to pay.

"No, no, I'll pay" Naruto intervened. "I feel kind of bad about not being able to treat the twins so this one's on me." He had woken up early to see the headmaster about money for food and clothing and he had given Naruto a card, some notes and finally some change and explained how the card worked.

"Thanks Naruto-sensei." Said all of them.

With that, they finally started browsing the shops, just not shops that sold men's clothing. Two hours of intense shopping later, they finally got around to Naruto himself.

"So sensei, what do you need?" Madoka asked.

"A set of everything really. These clothes are pretty much all I have," he said, indicating his present attire.

"EEHHH", they screeched, "you mean those are all you have?"

"Hehe," he nervously chuckled "that's right." The next thing he knew he was in a store holding a large pile of clothes that he'd been told to try on after practically being stripped and what he felt was a rather intimate measuring.

He'd been sort of mentally prepared for a shopping trip; he had after all been shopping with Ino before, as part of his 'Hang out with Friends to Stop the Mind Numbing Loneliness' plan. It had worked, sort of. He wasn't lonely, but he most certainly wasn't having fun. It was however nice to get to know his fellow blonde a bit better, so it wasn't a total waste of his time. These girls however put Ino to shame. Whereas Ino mainly shopped for herself with a few half hearted attempt to suggest purchases to him, these three were now fully focused on treating him as their own life sized dress up doll.

After what felt like an endless parade of him putting on whatever the hell they wanted and modelling it to them, he decided to just buy whatever the hell they said looks nice and leave it at that, price be damned. He didn't know it at the time, but this was a huge mistake. He was very adamant to get as much orange clothing as possible though. The girls agreed, apparently orange suited him at least a little, but he didn't get anywhere near as much as he would of liked. When Naruto walked out of that store he found himself a much poorer man. He was just lucky he was having his clothes delivered, an unusual service, but the store manager had decided that it was the least they could do considering he never would've been able to carry all his new belongings at once.

The shopping trip was finally coming to an end a mere 4 hours after it had begun, as soon as they picked up one last item for Misa, to Naruto's complete disbelief; he felt that they'd been at it for days. They'd wondered into Harujuka when Misa, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong, Kakizaki?" Madoka asked.

That's when she suddenly grabbed all three of them behind a middle aged man who looked faintly annoyed by their presence. She pointed towards a nearby shop and said "That's Negi-kun and Konoka isn't it?"

"Yeah, you're right, what are those two doing here?" Sakurako wondered.

Looking in on the happy scene of Negi and Konoka shopping together caused all three girls to sweatdrop before they simultaneously panicked when they thought '_T…This is… Isn't this… a date!?_' The sudden need to hide and the alarm just thoroughly confused Naruto, who didn't see anything in Negi's and Konoka's interaction. Going to say hello, the girls grabbed him and dragged him off before the "couple" could notice him. Then they proceeded to generally ignore him as they discussed the scandal.

"B-but Negi's just ten years old, maybe they're just shopping as brother and sister." Madoka tried to reason.

"Why would they come all the way here just for that," Misa argued.

"Negi-kun is no normal ten year old, you know?" Sakurako added.

"Awawa, this could be a problem," Sakurako yelled.

"It'd be terrible if anyone found out!" Madoka shouted as she joined her friend in panic.

"Negi-kun could be fired for hitting on his students!" Misa finished.

"Wait a second," Madoka calmed herself, "in this situation isn't it the other way around, Konoka coming on to Negi."

"Ooh… I see" came from Sakurako, who looked as though she had had an epiphany.

Misa agreed with them both, "That's how it seems to me, too. I mean, Konoka lives in the same room as Negi, right? And Asuna goes to bed early…" she continued.

"To abuse a child," Madoka muttered in disgust, before continuing louder "Konoka started to act like a second mother and then that feeling grew to love. Then one night…" she speculated, all four of them picturing a blushing Negi, Konoka pushing him down with a lecherous glint in her eye.

"A-anyway, we've got to contact the authorities!" Misa already had the phone ringing.

"You mean the staffroom?!"

"You idiot, he'll be fired if they found out."

"What! No, if that happens, I won't know what to do with myself." Naruto yelled. It seems he got caught up in the atmosphere and forgot the headmaster wanted to keep him around.

A brief conversation with Asuna followed, in which they're worries of illicit student teacher relationships were completely ignored.

"Looks like she didn't believe us."

"Quick, they're on the move again." Modaka informed the group, before quickly concealing herself behind a wall. It seems Negi almost noticed them.

Observing them from afar, the four shoppers realised something. The two in front of them made a great couple. Feeling the need to share they're happiness, Misa called Asuna to tell her the good news. Unfortunately the local shotacon seemed to catch news of the date, and right after the three cheerleaders (+1 teacher) had decided to support their love, she made a phone call, and with a yell that Naruto swore could be heard from half a mile away, ordered them to stop them from getting closer. When it seemed like they would refuse, she sent a picture. In this picture was a face. It was Ayaka's face, and it scared the hell out of Naruto, reminding him of Sakura in one of her worse moods. It was then and there that Naruto decided never to come between Ayaka and Negi. It seemed to have a similar effect on the cheerleaders, as they immediately caved to her demands when they saw the class reps face.

"Well, I guess we've got no choice."

"We'll need to hide are identities." Misa suggested. They then performed a near instantaneous change of clothes, and in Madoka's case a gender change. Well, not really, just in terms of clothing. Probably. Honestly, with this class, you could never be sure they didn't have some sort of hidden ability, but I am reasonably sure she's just cross-dressing, something she seemed mildly annoyed about.

Then they turned to Naruto and began muttering to each other. "That bright blonde hair is just too distinctive," and "No, no, that wouldn't work." With a sigh, they gave up on trying to think up a disguise and finally sent him on his way by himself with a promise to call him on his new cell phone when they were done, or if they needed his help.

He walked away with the feeling he had just escaped from insanity. It was actually rather depressing.

He felt instantly better when he spotted something on a small stand. Falling in love with it, he bought it without a second thought. It was probably the first thing he had picked out himself all day.

Soon after he met up with his students, just not the ones he had arrived with. Ayaka and Asuna ran into him. Literally. Ayaka knocked into him first, sending the both of them flying; fortunately he wrapped his arm around her to cushion her fall. It was just his luck that he'd grabbed her waist and pulled her up so his head was smothered by her bust. This situation was made worse when Asuna entered the mix when she tripped on Naruto's splayed foot and landed face first on Akaka's ass with her hand resting on Naruto's crotch.

When Asuna regained her sense, the first thing she noticed was that there was a lot of wriggling going under her. The next thing she noticed was where her hand was. Staring at it in shock, it took her a few seconds realise what she was grabbing and to finally jump up. She pulled Ayaka up moments later and began to apologize before even taking notice of who she had run into.

"It's fine. What were you rushing for anyway?" he asked them.

'_Huh, I recognise that voice'_ Asuna thought. She looked up and found herself face to face with Naruto.

"So, where were you going, Asuna, Iincho?"

"We were meeting up with Negi and Konoka."

"Really, I'll come with you then. After all, we've got to make sure Konoka doesn't take advantage of Negi's innocence, do we," he said with a grin.

"WHAT! I will not allow it!" the class rep yelled as she set off at a dead run, Asuna and Naruto following close behind.

* * *

When they did find Negi and Konoka, he was asleep with his head resting on her lap and it looked like she was leaning down to give him a kiss. Luckily for her she seemed to think better of it. If the class rep had seen her actually go through with it he shuddered to think of her reaction. Moments later the cheerleading trio face faulted out of a nearby bush, and Konoka asked "What are you all doing here?"

Disregarding the question, Ayaka was more interested in their current position. "Konoka-san is letting Negi-sensei sleep on lap. I want to try that to!"

"Konoka, are you really…?"

"Ah, did you figure it out?" she asked, waking Negi up.

"Huh, everyone. Asuna-san and Naruto-san too!"

"No –san, dammit!"

"Looks like they figured it out Negi-kun."

"Eeeeh, and I was hoping it would be more of a surprise."

"Figured it out, then…"

"Then you two are really…"

"Yeah, we had no choice."

"That's right. It's one day early but... here Asuna-san" Negi said, holding out a present, "For the 21st of April. Happy birthday."

"Eh?"

"I've been looking for a present since this morning."

"It's an organ that plays your favourite tune. Today is the 20th so I was going to wait until tomorrow, but…"

"Wh…"

"Aha, that's right Asuna-san, we got presents for you as well. Here, a pair of matching clothes that you can wear with Konoka. There's also a dumbbell. Train hard. We also got you all this other stuff too." They said, handing over their pile of boxes.

'_Crap, I didn't get her anything'_ Naruto thought, before drifting over to join in with the cheerleaders as they heaped her with gifts.

"Thank you everyone, it's all so sudden. I-I'm so happy." She told them, smiling.

When the troublesome trio tried to make their get away, Naruto decided to stick with Negi. This was an opportunity to get to know him better.

"Just where do you think you're going," Iincho called.

Sensing that they were in a lot of trouble, they immediately apologized. "Ah, we're sorry Iincho. It seems we had a misunderstanding."

"You guys are always causing trouble!"

"You're the one that told us what to do."

"I know; since we are already here, let's go to Karaoke. It can be a birthday party for Asuna."

"Sounds like a great idea"

"Hey, don't change the subject."

While the girls were distracted, Naruto took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with Negi as they walked to karaoke.

"So, Negi, how long have you been a teacher for?"

"Only for around 2 months. I'm still rather new at this. What about you Naruto-sa" Scary face, gulp, "Naruto, do you have any teaching experience?"

"A little. I once had, I suppose you could say an apprentice. I only taught him a little before his proper teacher shaped up and started doing a better job. He was more like a little brother to me than anything though."

"Where is he now?"

"The same place as everyone else," Naruto replied sadly.

"If you don't mind me asking, but what happened to your home. You talk like you'll never see it again."

"That's because I won't. It's gone now, along with all my friends."

Reminded of his own petrified village, Negi asked "How did that happen?"

"I don't know. All I know is it's gone and I'll never see it again. I decided I need to start anew, and the Headmaster was kind enough to offer me that chance. What about you, isn't it a little strange to have a 10 year old teaching?"

"This was where I was assigned after my graduation, and to be honest I really like it here. The girls can be a little… friendly, but they're good girls, and I aim to be the best teacher I can be as long as I'm here. It's my job to help people after all."

Giving a small smile, Naruto said, "You're a good kid, you know that? I'm looking forward to working with you."

"Thank you, I look forward to working with you too."

"If you ever need my help with anything, advice, someone to talk to, or even just an extra pair of hands, don't hesitate to ask, it's my job after all."

"Thank you for the offer, I'll try to remember."

"You have to promise me the same thing though. You're my sempai in teaching after all, so please take care of me, okay?"

"I'll help however I can. I do have one piece of advice; I would stop antagonising Eva-san. She can be quite scary when she's angry."

"Thanks." Naruto said with a smile. '_Nice_ _kid'_ he thought _'I can't wait to get to know him better. I wonder why he thinks of Eva as scary though. Eh, he's probably just a little scared after that outburst Cha-chan told me about.' _

When they arrived in front of a building called 'Kuro Neko' Sakurako yelled "Alright, we're here! Let's get this party started!"

"Alright, but first I have one question. What the hell is karaoke?" The girls all gave him a familiar look, like he had just blasphemed against them and even Negi looked a little shocked.

"No, I won't stand for someone not knowing about karaoke. C'mon and I'll show you." Sakurako told him as she dragged him into the building. Turns out it was singing, and it was something he sucked at for a couple of reasons. The first was he didn't know any songs, and the second was that words that came up too quickly. He never had been very good at reading kanji, something he would have to work on apparently.

Negi was only slightly better at it than Naruto, so they mainly entertained themselves by watching the girls perform. The class rep and Konoka were good, the cheerleaders were absolutely amazing, but the real shocker was Asuna. She sucked worse than Naruto, which Ayaka seemed to take great pleasure in by rubbing it in her face.

* * *

The night passed by, and when Naruto arrived home he found a very angry Eva. "What's wrong with you Chibi-chan?"

Ignoring the name for now, she got to the problem at hand. "Have you seen how much stuff for you came today, Chachamaru was busy all day getting it inside and out of the way, and if you can afford all that stuff, why haven't you paid your rent yet."

"Alright, hold on" he said while digging out his frog wallet and handing her the card, "this is the only thing I can use to pay, will that do?"

"Chachamaru!" Eva called.

"Yes Master."

"Will this card work?"

"I believe so."

"Good, take the rent off it."

"Yes Master" she responded as she disappeared.

"Now, Uzumaki, I-"

"Nii-chan."

"What?"

"You haven't forgotten already have you? I told you to call me nii-chan."

"I will not."

"And I won't answer to anything else. I wonder who'll last longer." He replied rather smugly.

Eva was not having a good day today. First, she had been woken early on her day off by this idiot's clamouring in the kitchen. Secondly, her allergies were acting up, adding to her annoyance. Thirdly, when there was a knock on the door she had foolishly ordered Chachamaru to take care of it, underestimating the amount of time it would take her to deal with the nuisance, leaving her alone and rather miserable. And now she had to deal with this idiot, who insisted on treating her like a child. **Her**, who was renowned and feared in the magical world as an all powerful and evil mage on par with The Thousand Master, Her who was just a few decades short of seven hundred years old. Simply put, she hated it.

So for the first time in a hundred years, she snapped and lunged at him. She'd only ever met one man who infuriated her as much as he did, and reminding her of him only angered her more. The way he treated her was just like him, like she was the child she looked and not an equal, it just got under her skin more than anything else, so she lost control of herself and ended up trying to claw his throat out.

Unfortunately for her, without any of her powers, the blinding rage and not taking him seriously as an opponent, he easily dodged her lunge and subdued her by wrapping his arms around her arms and waist and picking her up.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" she screamed as she thrashed around in his arms.

"Now, now, you shouldn't attack your nii-chan like that. It'll make me think you don't like me."

"I don't, I hate you."

"You don't mean that," he dismissed. "Now, if you don't stop thrashing I'll give you a spanking."

That stopped it in her tracks. "What. Did. You. Say."

"I said if you don't stop thrashing around like a child, I'll have to punish you like one, and that means giving you a spanking as punishment. Do I make myself clear?"

In this position and without her magic she was practically defenceless, and he probably could go through with his threat so, using all her will power, she ground out a "Yes."

It was at this moment she decided; she was going to kill this boy. It was no longer just an idea to toy with, it was her new mission, and even escaping this school took a back seat to it. She was going to enjoy it too.

"Now, I think it's time you went to bed, you've got a big day soon; it's the class trip after all."

"I'm not going on the class trip; I can't leave the school grounds," she hissed at him as he carried her up the stairs. She hated being reminded of her confinement.

"Well, that's too bad, I'm sure the trip would be more fun if you could come." He said as he placed her on her bed. "I hope you think about what you did. You shouldn't violently lash out like that, so I expect you to stay up here until tomorrow." He chastised. "See ya," he said as he left the red faced girl, who looked absolutely furious.

When he went downstairs he found Chachamaru looking slightly confused and in a battle stance. "What is going on?" she asked, "I heard Master screaming and came to investigate."

"She was just being a brat, so I sent her to her room."

Chachamaru blinked in shock. She didn't know what to think. He wasn't lying; that much she could tell through her sensors, but the idea of her Master being forcibly sent to her room astounded her. "I see" she hesitantly replied.

"Anyway, I wanted to thank you for helping with my stuff."

"It was no problem."

"No, I really appreciate it. Thank you. I'm sure I've been a bit of a burden for you, so if there's anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to ask."

"I appreciate the offer."

"I'm guessing you'll be missing the trip as well."

"Yes."

"That really is a shame." he sighed. "Anyway, I think it's time I went to bed, I've got a busy day tomorrow. Good night Cha-chan."

"Good night Naruto."

* * *

As you may have noticed, I got a little tired of re-doing manga scenes from when they called Asuna, so I hope no one minded me condensing them.

About the Eva scene, I hope it's not too ooc, but I really wanted to show that she is projecting slightly.

I have started the next chapter, but I am only about a quarter done, and I have now started my second year at uni, so time might become a problem.


	7. Kyoto Trip: Begin

The morning of the school trip began unlike any other; Naruto was up and ready to go without Chachamaru having to force him out of bed. He was wearing some of his new clothes, a black t-shirt, a dark blue jacket and navy blue pants. He was also wearing his weapons pouch on his leg. He had considered wearing his red Sage coat, but he decided the warm day didn't call for it, and although he wasn't wearing it, he also had his hitai-ite. This was an exciting day for him; it was his first proper day on the job.

The headmaster had explained it to him yesterday after the teachers meeting. Negi was to deliver a letter to the Kansai Magical Association, partly as a test and partly to send a letter to his son-in-law about his 'henchmen'. Naruto was told that some mages may try to interfere in the delivery, and it's doubtful that they'll target the students; still, the headmaster was worried and tasked him with their protection, as well as keeping an eye on Negi.

He wasn't to help Negi unless absolutely necessary, but if he deemed it so, all restriction about hiding what he was were off. He'd also been handed a phone and given a set of contact details just in case he needed anything clarified. Apart from that, whatever he decided to do was fine.

There was only one problem as far as Naruto could see. Afterwards he would have to submit a report on Negi's progress. He was not looking forward to that, especially as he couldn't just pawn the work load onto Kage Bunshin as he usually would.

There was another problem that was brought to his attention though. His spending.

**Flashback**

"Naruto-kun, I have recently come to know just how much you spent yesterday, 300,000 yen.

"Er, that sounds like a lot."

The headmaster found himself sighing, "I suppose I can't dump all the blame on you. I myself forgot that you are unaware just how much things cost. Still, you must have some idea at how much you were spending?"

"To be honest, I just bought whatever the girls said I should."

"Still, you should've known better."

"Yes sir."

"Unfortunately, this is largely out of my hands, it will be difficult to justify this much money being spent in such a trivial manner. I'm afraid unless you find a way to pay the school back, your wage will have to be cut drastically to compensate. I hope you understand."

"Yeah, I do."

After that he'd gone to his room to sulk. He'd let the headmaster down, and Naruto couldn't stand the idea of disappointing that kind old man. It was when he was brainstorming how to make money that he caught sight of his team photo or more specifically Kakashi-sensei.

That's when he remembered something from his travels with Ero-sennin. The old guy was rich. Why was he rich? As much as Naruto hated to admit it, the Icha Icha series had left the old perv very wealthy, a wealth that had been passed down to Naruto upon his death. However, even Naruto knew that there was no way to get to that money now. Or was there?

Five minutes later, Naruto's scroll was a lot less full, seeing as in his search he had had emptied most of it onto the floor, including a dozen shurikan, a fuuma shurikan, half a dozen explosive notes, and a lot more besides. He had finally found what he was looking for though, as with a small burst of smoke there stood three film reels and a stack of 5 books, Tales of a Gutsy Ninja and four Icha Icha novels.

He'd decided, Uzumaki Naruto was going to re-publish these books. He had two reasons. The first was money, he needed it and these books could probably provide it. The second was much more sentimental, these books were his teachers' only legacy, (besides himself). Hell, from what he'd been told, Tales of a Gutsy Ninja was almost auto-biographical.

There were two problems though. The first was that he had no idea how to get a book published. The second was his age. He was currently 16, (technically more like 3,516, but he couldn't exactly say that could he) so he himself couldn't do it, they were adult only books after all. Luckily, he knew the solution to both problems.

That was how he found himself back in the headmasters' office asking him to get these works published under the name Namikaze Jiraiya (he never did find out Jiraiya's last name, if he even had one. Either way he was sure neither Jiraiya or his father would care about using that name).

It took a little time to get the old man to agree, but he gave in quickly enough after he'd had it explained to him and he'd promised to try. His money troubles were hopefully over, and Jaraiya's work lived on.

**Flashback End**

That is why he left Eva's cottage with a smile on his face, one which didn't diminish in the slightest when he tripped over a tree root. He was rather curious about the loud BANG which occurred simultaneously and the small amount of dust that rose up a couple of feet in front of him, but he quickly put that to the back of his mind. He had a job to do.

* * *

"How could you miss?" Eva, The Dark Evangel, The Undying Mage, Apostle of Destruction shouted at her robotic puppet, who at this moment was toting a sniper rifle.

"I apologize, Master. I was unable to predict his tripping, and by the time I had adjusted for the second shot he was already hidden behind the tree line." Chachamaru replied.

"Never mind," she dismissed, "we'll have plenty of opportunities to kill him when he gets back."

"Forgive me for asking Master, but is it really necessary to kill him?"

"Yes, it is. He humiliates me at every turn, treats me like a child and worst of all, he reminds me of **him**. Do you know what he threatened to do to me? He said he was going to spank me Chachamaru. He was going to **spank **me. I can't let that stand. I'd rather kill him in the most humiliating way possible, but I don't really care as long as he dies. Is that understood?"

"Yes Master."

Chachamaru understood her Master, or at least liked to think she did. She could tell that when Negi-sensei and Master fought, she was having fun, and this was the most fun she had had in awhile. So when Naruto-sensei came, she thought it might be possible that she would have fun with him as well. Sadly, it seems that this was not the case, seeing as Naruto-sensei kept soundly beating her. Still, Chachamaru had hope that Master could learn to get along and have fun with Naruto-sensei, and that is why she had twisted the truth.

While the first shot would've missed anyway, an error she would've blamed on unaccounted for wind speed, partly because she chose not to account for it, it was pure luck he had tripped at that moment, shifting blame from her. It was also true that by the time she had readjusted her scope he was out of sight, but what she didn't say was that she could have adjusted it 4.7 seconds faster.

She had chosen not to kill Naruto-sensei for a number of reasons; the first was in the hope Master could have fun; the second was that she thought Master didn't really mean it, and would later regret her actions; the final reason was the most startling of all though. She didn't want to. She liked sensei, and didn't want to be the one responsible for his death. So until such a time that he became a true threat to Master, she would intentionally fail in her assassination attempts.

* * *

Naruto arrived at the train station soon after, completely unaware of his near death experience. He found the station filled with young girls, all around 14-15 years old. It seems he arrived just in time seeing as Shizuna-sensei was organizing the groups for role-call. He found himself with Negi counting off the groups of students who were getting on the train to make sure none were left behind.

The first group of 5 consisted of the cheerleading trio as well as the twins, all of which he knew rather well due to spending the day with them. The next group he didn't know so well. It consisted of No.12, Kuu Fei, No.24 Hakase Satomi and No.09 Kasuga Misora, none of whom he knew. It did have Satsuki, Chao and Kaede though, all of whom he met on his tour.

Kuu Fei was a short, blonde and cute foreigner, while Satomi, who was slightly taller than Kuu, had dark hair braided into two pigtails, and finally Misora had short, spiky red hair and was much taller than Kuu and Satomi, seemingly about an inch shorter than Naruto, if that.

"Negi-bozu, Naruto-kun," Kuu Fei greeted "it must be tough to be in charge of organising-aru. Eat one of these to keep your energy up-aru." She said as she handed each of them a nickumen, or at least tried to. Negi refused his, meanwhile Naruto had already started gobbling his down. They all soon passed without incident, though Kuu Fei continued to give Naruto a curious look.

In the next group he didn't really know anyone. Sure, he had met/been interrogated by Asakura, and he had spent time with Ayaka, but since that had been in the presence of Negi, all he really learned was that she was a shotacon.

There was also No.21 Naba Chizuru, a long haired and rather busty brunette, who was the same size as Naruto; No.25 Hasegawa Chisame, a glasses wearing red-head who stood slightly shorter than Chizuru and finally No.28 Murakami Natsumi, another red-head, she was short but cute, with three freckles on each cheek.

The forth group was next, and in this one he didn't know anyone. There was No.18 Tatsumiya Mana, a very tall and tanned girl with black hair; No.6 Okochi Akira, another tall girl, but nowhere near Mana, with black hair tied into a ponytail; No.5 Izumi Ako a petite girl with light blue hair, who appeared quite sick at the moment; No.02 Akashi Yuna, an average girl with black hair, and finally Sasaki Makie, a red head who was currently trying to invite Negi to hang out with her during free-activity day, to Ayaka's annoyance(she'd stayed behind to keep an eye on Negi).

In the fifth group he knew the first two people being checked off, Konoka and Asuna. He did not know the other three, No.4 Akase Yue, a short girl with long blue hair and No.14 Saotome Haruna, a slightly taller than average girl with long black hair. It was the final girl that really surprised him though. She was a small girl with short hair; she looked just like a young Hinata, except Hinata's hair was much darker. Her blushing red face just added to the effect.

"H-Hinata?" Naruto asked, voice shaking and face pale. Taking a step closer to the startled girl he leaned down so that his face was mere centimetres from hers, intent on a closer examination. She squeaked and jumped back when she noticed their faces proximity. Naruto concluded it was a very Hinata thing to do, but this was not her. The eyes were all wrong, this girls eyes were purple, the same shade as her hair, whereas Hinata's had been pale, almost white. She also jumped back at their proximity, not screamed, head butted and fainted on him like Hinata had once done.

"Not Hinata," he mumbled. Closing his eyes he took a moment to calm himself, thinking _'No, Hinata is dead. She lived her life happily, probably got over me, fell in love with someone else and started a family with him. Who knows, this girl could even be a distant descendant or something.' _

When he opened his eyes, seven people were staring at him, Negi, Ayaka and the whole of group 5.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, "it's just she reminds me of someone I once knew. "I'm sorry if I scared you." He told the shocked girl.

"I-it's alright," she spoke shyly, before hurrying away, Yue and Haruna following. She was No.27 Miyazaki Nodaka.

Watching the remaining girls walk away, Negi chuckled to himself, and couldn't help but think _'This sure is a busy class, just organising them will be tough. Then again, Naruto-san will surely be a big help.' _

Breaking Negi out of his thoughts, Naruto commented, "Hey, aren't we missing a group?"

Doing a quick check in his head, Negi said, "Well, that was the fifth, so there should be one more."

"Negi-sensei." A girl said to make herself known. She had middle length black hair set in a ponytail at the side of her head. Behind her was another girl, this one with white hair and facial markings, on one side a tear and on the other there was a long line that went from cheek to forehead over her right eye.

"Ah, you're No.15, Sakurazaki Setsuna-san, and Zazie-san."

"That's right. I'm meant to be the leader of group 6, but without Evangeline-san and Chachamaru-san, it's really just me and Zazie-san. What should we do?"

"That's a problem" Negi murmured. "I know, why don't you join another group?" Seeing no signs of disagreement, he continued, "Alright, I'll assign Zazie-san to you Iinochi, and I'll leave Sakurazaki-san in your care Asuna-san. Is that alright?"

Both girls addressed gave their assent, meanwhile Konoka smiled at their new group member and called her, "Se-chan, looks like we're in the same group." She was completely ignored and Setsuna simply bowed and walked away.

"Well, that was rude," Naruto said to the mildly shocked group.

* * *

The class all seated, Naruto followed suit, choosing a window seat for the view. Only when the train was in motion did Negi address his class.

"Alright everyone, the 15th annual trip is about to begin. Please make the most of these five days and four nights!"

The class cheered at the announcement, "O-K!"

Negi continued, "There will be plenty of free time, so I think it'll be a fun trip for everyone. However, you should always make sure to take care of yourself, but if you need anything, Naruto-san and I are here to help. Rem-" and that's when he got hit by the food cart.

'_Sheesh'_ Asuna thought, '_is he really gonna be okay.'_

"That was karmic retribution for calling me –san, I just know it." Naruto said in a voice loud enough to carry across most of the carriage.

"I'm sorry," the woman who was pushing the cart said before offering a boxed lunch, which he denied. After he regained his composure he quickly finished his safety speech, and then sat himself down.

Minutes later, the food cart passed by and Naruto got himself something to eat. After quickly consuming it, he let the noise of the girls wash over him and was soon fast asleep.

* * *

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa," a voice screeched out, quickly waking the snoozing blond. Suddenly, scream followed scream followed scream, from all over the carriage. That was when he caught his first glimpse of what was spreading terror among his class. It was a small green frog, well, to be more accurate it was dozens of frogs, but that was beside the point. So far, strange, but not magic, not until he saw them popping out of a nearby candy box that he knew for a fact didn't contain frog two seconds ago.

They were being summoned. Someone was summoning his frog allies, and unless Jiraiya had come back to life, no one else had that right, not until he gave it to them. A brief glance at the class concluded that they were panicking; even Negi looked at a loss.

That didn't matter right now though. What did matter was finding who was using his own allies against him.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto and I order you to STOP!" he commanded, blue eyes cold in anger.

Dead silence followed as 276 eyes were on him, not even a croak left the frogs throats.

Reaching down he carefully picked up the nearest amphibian and said to the rest of them "Leave." They immediately obeyed, jumping back into empty boxes and simply disappearing.

He turned his back to the group and whispered "Why?"

The poor thing immediately burst into tears, "A-aniki," he snivelled, "we thought you were dead. Even in Myobokuzan it had been years, and in the human world it has been centuries. We're sorry, bu-but you have to understand, times have changed. We were summoned and so we acted. Please forgive us."

He sighed. "Fine, but spread the word, 'I'm back.' Let no other summon you without my permission. Understood?"

"Hai Aniki!" it beamed.

"One last thing, I'm not strong enough to summon anything bigger than you, not right now, so tell the elder toads, okay?"

"Hai!" he repeated before disappearing with a poof of smoke and a pop.

When he turned to his students, he found Negi taking control of the situation, his pet ermine perched on his shoulder, the students doing what he told them, even as some threw strange looks his way. Then Negi started to frantically pat around in his pockets, before finally pulling out a letter. The relief on his face was obvious, and then a bird swiped it from his hands. Whoops.

Negi quickly ran after it, and Naruto discreetly followed, creating a Kage Bunshin to keep an eye on the class. He may not have been at his former glory, but he had strength enough for that, especially considering that it wasn't for combat.

It turns out he needn't have bothered, Setsuna had already recovered the letter and handed it back to Negi. Satisfied that it was safe, he made his way back to class 3-A, nobody the wiser.

Negi thanked Sakurazaki-san for returning the letter, although he was a little confused about the warning, but when she was out of sight Chamo, his ermine familiar spoke up.

"What are you thanking her for? That girl is suspicious as hell. That goes for that Naruto guy too. You'd best keep an eye on both of them."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Just look over here Aniki."

"This…"

"It's the paper bird from before, it flew straight here. What's that tell you?"

"Then…"

"Yes, she might be the spy from the west. And that Naruto guy, did you see how he commanded those frogs. Summons only listen to their summoners, he must have been the one to call them."

'_No way, Sakurazaki-san and Naruto-san, spies from the west? First Evangeline-san and now this. What am I going to do?'_

* * *

"We will be arriving in Kyoto shortly. Please do not forget any personnel belongings." The train intoned, the students began preparing to leave the train, surprised at the quickness of their journey.

Negi was particularly excited, "Alright, Kyoto coming up. There are clues here about the Thousand Master, I'm sure of it."

"Oh, is there something wrong Negi-kun?" Konoka asked.

"No." he said, quickly turning his head to face her. "Are you looking forward to Kyoto?" he asked to distract her.

"Yeah, I am." She responded, before continuing on. Unfortunately, Negi was distracted at this point, as he had noticed Setsuna watching him.

'_She's looking this way again. I wonder if she's really a spy from the west? And what about Naruto?_' he thought, turning his attention to the blonde, who was sleeping. Again.

Then the train stopped, Asuna no to gently kicked Naruto awake and Negi was distracted as his students infectious enthusiasm sent him running into the station.

Some time later, they arrived at the Kiyomuzu Temple and the girls immediately started exploring. That was fine as far as Naruto was concerned. It may have been more difficult to keep an eye on all of his charges as they split up, but there wasn't much chance of the girls being attacked anyway. As long as they didn't go too far they would be fine.

At the moment he was looking out onto the hilly forest, admiring the view. It was only now that he could see these trees, much smaller than he was used to, did he realise just how much he missed the trees of his home. The kind that he first learnt tree-jumping on, practised chakra control on and even hid under when he was chased for his pranks.

He was disturbed from his thoughts by Kaede, who was trailed by Kuu Fei. "Hello girls." He greeted them with a wave and a smile.

"Hello Naruto-sensei." They replied.

A slightly uncomfortable silence followed, which Naruto was more than happy to break, "Er, do you two need me for anything?"

"Not exactly, de gozaru. We heard from the twins that you easily defeated five men after the tour. We just wondered if it was true."

"Yeah, kinda. I only really beat three of them; the other two were distracted, so I managed to catch them off guard."

"Still, that's quite a show of skill. Have you ever been trained in martial arts?"

"I have a bit of training, but I'm mainly self-taught. All my teachers have described me as a brawler. Some tried to correct it, but Ero-Sennin encouraged it. He said it made me harder to predict."

"How long have you been training aru?"

"Ever since I was six."

Upon that admission, Kuu Fei's expression seemed to glow. Rushing forward, she grabbed Naruto's hands in her own and said, "Fight me!"

"Huh?"

"I'd love to spar with someone as experienced as you aru. You have almost a decade of battle experience; most of my opponents have half that aru."

Facing those sparkling eyes, he couldn't say no. "Alright then, I'll spar with you."

Letting go of his hands, she immediately assumed a tight fighting stance, and awaited his first move. He just sighed in response.

"Can't we wait until we're back in Mahora? I have to save my strength right now. Okay?"

The happy aura and bubbling energy the girl gave off immediately disappeared. "Fine-aru." She sulked, before walking off, leaving Kaede and Naruto alone.

"Don't mind her Naruto-sensei, it's just she has been looking forward to challenging you for quite some time."

"Is that so? Well, like I said, it should be fine after the trip. Does she really like fighting that much?"

"Hai. I believe she enjoys testing her strength against others more than anything."

"What about you? Do you like fighting as well?"

"Hmm, that is a difficult question de gozaru. I choose to learn my skills, and I honestly don't know who I would be without them. It feels good to show them off, well, as much as such skills can be shown off. So yes, I do enjoy fighting. What about you sensei?"

"For me fighting is a means to an end. I was, forced is too harsh a word, more like tricked into choosing this life. At first I learned to fight for respect, attention and so that I could defend myself. But then I met someone, and he showed me that I was fighting for all the wrong reasons. I'll never forget what he taught me, and I've been fighting towards his ideals ever since. Do I enjoy fighting? Sparing with friends and trying to become stronger together, there is nothing that could make me happier. Fighting for the survival of you and your people, on the other hand, is not something I would wish on anyone."

"Sensei!" a voice called out to Naruto, and he turned to see Yue and Konoka running towards him. "There's a problem sensei, we could really use your help."

"So, what's the problem?" Naruto asked, following them.

"We were at the Otowa waterfall, and a few of the girls had some of the water, but it was spiked, so…" Yue explained as they walked away from the surprised Kaede.

She was thinking over what her teacher had just told her, and it was now she realized that there was something strange about him. The feeling was similar to Negi and his magic, but at the same time vastly different. The way he spoke just now was not that of an average teenager, or even a martial artist, but of a soldier, someone who has fought on the front line and seen death. This needed further investigation.

Kaede was the first in the class to recognize that there was more to her teacher (the blond one) than what everyone thought. She won't be the last.

* * *

AN. About the forced to become a ninja thing, I think it is sort of true. I imagine that the Third influenced him into wanting to become a ninja on purpose. he wanted Naruto to go down that path, and so a little jutsu demonstration here, maybe a little show of force there, and boom, little Naru-chan wants to be a ninja. the Hokage ideals come later. That is why I say tricked, it was still ultimatly his choice, but to an impressurable kid they may as well have forced him.

The protect himself was just a general thing. Everyone should know how to defend themselves, doubly so for anyone in a ninja village. I am in no way implying Naruto was specifically targeted. I've grown to really hate that piece of fanon, that Naruto was a living punching bag. The ANBU wouldn't allow it, the Hokage wouldn't stand for it, and if they did intentionally target a 6 year old I think there would have been blood. and not Naruto's. He was mistreated, yes, but it was not physical abuse.

I want to thank aliestrikehero for pointing out that Sakurako has dark blonde/light orange hair. I'm just generallising the hair colours, so if I see a orange or redish tinge, I'll say red head. I hope that's not too annoying.


	8. Kyoto Trip: First Night

When Naruto arrived at the Owoka waterfall, Negi was hiding the drunken girls from passing teachers as best he could, and Asuna was trying to rouse them from their stupor.

"I'm so glad you're here Naruto-san. We could really use your help getting these girls onto the bus." is what Negi said as he saw Naruto approach, causing Naruto to turn around and start to leave.

"Wait, where are you going Naruto-san?"

"Hey, aren't you going to help us?" asked Asuna as Naruto continued to walk away.

"I'll be glad to help, but only after Negi has learned my name."

"I'm sorry, I don't unders-" Negi began, before realization dawned, "I mean, please help Naruto-nii-san."

That stopped Naruto, who thought, 'Is that fine?' Not many people had called him nii-san, in fact the only ones who did were the Konohamaru Corps when they were 9, well either that or Boss. 'I suppose that's fine.'

Turning to face Negi and his students, he asked, "What do you want me to do?" while giving his best smile.

* * *

"There's no mistaking it. This was the work of Setsuna and Naruto." Chamo announced. They had arrived at the hotel and were discussing the day's events in the lobby.

"It _is_ a bit weird, but-"

"Hey, Negi."

"Asuna-san."

"I've told all the teachers that the drunken students have gone to sleep in their rooms, but… what is going on here?"

"Tell her Aniki."

He did. "Eeh? 3-A is being targeted by some weird magical Organisation?"

"Yes. It is called the Kansai Magic Association."

"Another one of your magical disasters, huh?"

"I'm sorry Asuna-san."

"I guess you want my help again then? No problem, I'll help you out for a bit." Asuna offered, giving a kind smile.

"Asuna-san!" was all Negi said, smiling.

"Hey, Ane-san, we think that that Sakurazaki Setsuna might be a spy, know anything about her?"

"A spy? You serious?"

"Yep, and we've got our suspicions about that Naruto guy to."

"Him as well? I don't know anything more about Naruto-sensei that you don't already know, but I heard Sakurazaki-san was a childhood friend of Konoka… though I've never seen them talk to each other."

Taking a moment to think about this new revelation, Chamo realized something, "Hey if this girl is a childhood friend of Konoka-nee-san, doesn't that mean she's from Kyoto?"

"Let me check," Negi told them, flicking through he class register. He quickly read through Setsuna's basic profile:

15. Sakurazaki Setsuna

Kendo club

Kyoto's Shinmeiryuu

"Look, Kyoto is written on the class roll."

"This proves it; she's from Kyoto after all. There's no doubt about it now, she is definitely a spy, an assassin from the Kansai Magic Association!"

"You really think so?" Asuna asked, deadpan.

"Negi-sensei" they were interrupted by Shizuna, "it's almost time for the staff members to finish their baths."

"Hyaa!" Negi squawked in surprise, "H-hai Shizuna-sensei."

"We'll talk about this more during free activity time later; it's almost time for group 5 to take a bath anyway." Asuna told him.

"Yeah."

"Okay Ane-san." They agreed.

As they both went their separate directions, Negi to the men's bath and Asuna to her room, nether noticed Naruto hidden just around the corner, listening in. _'Geez, having a conversation like that in the middle of the hotel like that, how stupid could you be? Even worse, that ermine of his was yelling really loudly as well. I wonder if it was a summon? He thinks I'm a spy as well, which could really get in the way if I ever need to help him. In the words of an old friend 'troublesome'. Well, I could use a bath anyway, and it would be a good opportunity to gain his trust.'_

Naruto very quickly found Negi and the ermine, Chamo, relaxing in the large onsen, and greeted him with a simple "Yo." as he submerged himself in the hot water, and felt himself relax.

"Hello Naruto-nii-san." He replied a bit worriedly.

"So, how're you enjoying the trip so far, Negi?"

"It's been fun. I'm still a little worried though." he replied, thinking of the Setsuna and Naruto being spies. "How did you deal with the frogs, Naruto-nii-san? I found it really odd that they just disappeared after you shouted at them."

'_Fishing for information, eh?_**'** "I've always had an affinity with nature, toads and foxes especially. I guess they just understood me or something, or maybe they were just scared, who knows?"

"Where were you when the waterfall was spiked?"

"Are you accusing me of something?" Seeing Negi preparing a reply, he said, "If you must know, I was talking with Kuu Fei and Kaede. I may be a bit of a prankster but I would never do something like that on the trip. Though I wonder what a drunken Eva would be like. Hmm." He added, adopting a thinking pose.

"You mustn't do that!" Negi panicked.

"Why not, it could be funny."

"Eva-san is not someone to be taken lightly."

"Look Negi, I heard about when she attacked you, but you can't be afraid of your own students. She even attacked me the other night, but nothing bad happened."

"W-w-what did she do?" he was trembling.

"She just tried to tackle me, so I grabbed her, threatened to spank if she continued to act like such a spoiled brat and then I sent her to her room. The way she acted you'd think it had never happened to her before." he snorted.

'_He's gonna die! At this rate she'll kill him!'_ Chamo and Negi simultaneously thought.

"You really shouldn't antagonise her like that." he insisted.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. I have been laying it on a little thick."

"Huh, what on a little thick?"

Grinning, Naruto explained it to him. "Well, you know how I've been staying with Chibi-chan and Cha-chan, right?" Seeing Negi nod his in assent, he continued, "Well, when I moved in I was told that it was her punishment for attacking you, so I thought, why not give her a little extra punishment on top. So, I decided to treat her like a little kid. As I'm sure you know, it really people to be treated like that, especially the genius types. You're right though, I think I took it too far the other night."

"So, are you going to stop harassing her like that?"

"Hell no! It's too much fun seeing her get angry. I think that's enough about Chibi-chan anyway, we should talk about something else."

"Quick Aniki," Chamo whispered, "ask him about why he started teaching at Mahora."

"Umm, what made you start teaching?"

"To be honest, I didn't really have much of a choice. When the Headmaster found me I had absolutely no where to go or nothing to do. He offered me this chance, trusted me with you and this class, and I refuse to let him down. I owe him my life, plus, he gave me one of the most important things in the world."

"What's that?"

"A purpose. Let me tell you something Negi, without something or someone to live for, you're not really alive, you just drift, and hope."

"What do you live for, Naruto-nii-san?"

"I just told you, didn't I? Right now I live for you and this class's sake."

"Isn't that wrong, to not even think of yourself at all."

"I am thinking of myself. I lived for the sake of my home; I wanted to become Hokage, the leader of my village, so that I could protect everyone, because that's all that matters to me. Their happiness was my happiness, and now that they are gone and I've met you, I want you and those girls to be happy and safe too. If it's for the safety of those I care about, I would give my life if that is what was needed."

The poor young mage was practically in tears "No, that way of thinking is just so wrong. To give your life away so easily…"

"Are you saying you wouldn't give your life up to save those girls?"

"That's different!"

"So you would, huh?" Naruto said, before the previously serious face changed into a small smile, "Then we are in agreement. Protect those girls, always."

Their conversation was interrupted when they heard the footsteps on the stone floor, and Negi muttered, "Maybe it's one of the other male teachers?" When he turned around to look though, Naruto noticed his shoulders tense up.

"What's up?" he whispered as he approached. Taking a look over the kids shoulder, Naruto could understand why Negi was so distracted. There knelt Setsuna, completely naked, throwing water on her self.

"She's short, but she's beautiful, isn't she?" he seemed to be asking himself.

"Stop staring!" Naruto harshly whispered, pulling Negi away and out of sight by the shoulder. "You want to get caught?" When Negi shook his head, he continued, "Alright, we're gonna-"

"How troublesome" Setsuna muttered, causing Negi, Naruto and Chamo to become completely still, hoping that they hadn't been noticed. "If Negi-sensei is indeed a Mage then I should take some action, but..."

At the word Mage, Naruto took a quick glance at Negi, who seemed to be suffering a small panic attack and had seemed to forget he was there. He was raising a small stick with what look like a ball with a hoop around it. As if sensing his ill intent, Setsuna moved. Flicking what looked like a pebble at a nearby stand as a distraction; she grabbed her sword and lunged, slicing straight through the large rock they were hiding behind.

"Ras Tel Ma Skil Magister" Negi was muttering, "Flans Excalmatio!" he finished, and with a gesture the sword was knocked right out of Setsuna's hand. Undeterred, she continued her assault until had one hand around the poor boys neck and another hand wrapped tightly around his, well, lower. Or at least that would be the case except for the fact that Naruto was behind her, his left hand holding the groin attack back and his other hand holding the girls sword against her neck.

While Negi was frozen in shock, she was furious. She'd been beaten; she hadn't felt the presence of a second assailant all. Then she saw just who she was choking. "N-Negi-sensei?" She reeled back in shock, saying "I'm sorry Negi-sensei," and bumped right into her second attacker. Twisting in his grip, she found her entire body tightly pressed against a very solid and very naked Naruto. Blushing madly, they separated.

"Y-Y-You are a spy, aren't you! How could you?" Negi shouted.

"What, that's not true sensei."

"We're onto you so you might as well confess!" Chamo yelled.

"I'm not your enemy! No. 15, Sakurazaki Setsuna is your ally."

"EH? What do you mean by that?"

"I'm Konoka-ojou-sama's-"

"HYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAA" a scream pierced the air. Naruto recognised that voice.

"Konoka-san?"

"Konoka-Ojou-sama? Could it be that they are targeting Ojou-sama? Unacceptable." She declared, looking for her blade. Naruto threw it to her, sheathed, as well as throwing both of them towels to cover themselves. As soon as it was secured, she was off.

"What is going on?" Negi asked as he chased after her.

Naruto answered from behind, "I don't know, but it sounds like Konoka's in trouble, so off we go."

Slamming the door open they came across a glor-, er, disastrous sight. Small monkeys were stripping Asuna and Konoka of their underwear. "What the hell are these things doing?" Asuna shouted when she caught sight of Negi. It was then that their grip faulted and they both fell to the floor, completely naked.

"Aah, Negi-kun, Se-chan, Naruto-kun, don't look!"

"What the hell is going on?"

"Those damn monkeys." Setsuna ground out, her voice demon, "What do you think you're doing to Konoka-Ojou-sama. I'll slice you up!" her sword was already out and ready for use.

"Sakurazaki-san, what are doing? Is that thing real?" Asuna yelled, while Negi grabbed a hold of Setsuna in order to hold her back, asking her not to hurt the monkeys.

"They're just low level shikigami; they'll just turn back into paper if I cut them." She told them. When he heard that Naruto stepped forward to try and help the girls himself. Unfortunately one of the monkeys took this opportunity steal Setsuna's towel and trip them all up. Landing in a heap, Naruto was lying flat on the ground; Negi sat on his stomach and Setsuna straddling his face.

When Naruto opened his eyes he was staring at something he really shouldn't be seeing, and when Setsuna realised what position she was in, she quickly jumped away, tumbling over Negi and giving him a similar view. Quickly tumbling off of him, she looks at both her teachers faces. Neither one seemed to be able to look her in the eye, and while Negi was merely blushing like her, Naruto seemed to be nursing a small nose-bleed. '_Ignore it, ignore it, ignore it,_' she chants to herself.

"Konoka's being carried away!" Asuna shouted.

"What!?" was the collective reaction to the sight of about a dozen monkey's carrying a naked Konoka away.

"Ojou-sama!" Setsuna shouted, and she was away before either boy was recovered. Sword in her hands, she sprinted naked out of the changing rooms.

Shinmeiryuu Secret Technique: Hyakuretsu Okazan she called, as she cut all the monkeys around and caught Konoka in her arms.

Looking up at Setsuna while being held bridal style, Konoka got her attention, "Se-chan, I don't really understand what's going on, but you saved me, right? Thank you," she said, smiling.

"It's nothing," she told her, blushing. Then, as if she just realized the situation, her blush deepened and she quickly bolted. Naruto quickly followed.

* * *

Chasing a naked girl into the changing room may not have been one of Naruto's best idea's, especially when she had a sword that was almost as tall as she was, but Naruto was hoping it would all turn out well. He was just lucky that she put on a towel and grabbed her clothes before she ran through the corridors into her own, thankfully empty, room.

Waiting a minute in hopes that she would take the time to get dressed; he knocked on the door and entered. Naruto was right, she had taken the time to get dressed, she just wasn't done yet and was still putting on her robe.

"Sorry!" he said while jumping out the room and closing the door.

Another minute later and he was told to enter. "Sensei," she greeted. She was sat in the middle of the room in seiza.

"Setsuna," he greeted back. From the small tightening of her expression, it seemed she was one of those girls who didn't like to be called without an honorific. Too bad. Naruto sat himself directly in front of her, but no where near as formally. "I want you to tell me what that I was all about."

"I'm afraid I can't do that sensei. There are some things I cannot reveal."

"You can't tell me why you put so much effort into saving Konoka and then just run off?"

"Ah, no, I was referring to the monkeys."

"Oh, well that's magic, I already know about that. So, are you going to explain what's up with you and Konoka?"

"I am unworthy."

"Huh?"

"I am unworthy to stay beside Ojou-sama."

"Why exactly?"

"I am not strong enough."

"Okay, seriously, you're going to have to try explaining this to me properly. I'm your teacher, it's my job to help you, now, what are you to Konoka?"

At those words she seemed to relax, if only slightly, "It is my duty to protect Ojou-sama, but I am not strong enough to stay by her side. I failed her once, when we were children, and I promised myself that I would never fail again. I devoted myself to my sword for that purpose."

Naruto slowly stood up and positioned himself directly in front of Setsuna "So you're her bodyguard, and you left her side directly after an attempted kidnapping." He said, giving her a small bop on the head. "At least you didn't leave her alone." He finished with a frustrated sigh.

Her expression quickly changed from stoic to shock and then to resignation at his words.

"You say it's your job to protect her, so my advice is to protect her. And, well, it's so much easier to guard someone up close. It's stupid to keep your distance; it'll make it that much harder to do your job. The easiest way to stick close to her is to become her friend."

"I can't do that!"

"Why not? Don't you like her?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then there's no problem. Besides, I get a feeling that that girl would be very happy to be your friend."

"Thank you for the advice Naruto-sensei. I'll think upon it."

"Well, I suppose that'll have to do," he said with a sigh.

"Naruto-sensei, do you have any prior experience as a bodyguard?"

"Picked up on that, huh? Yeah, I've spent some time as a hired body guard, from bridge builders to priestesses; I've even guarded a few princesses in my time."

"Is that why you're here now, to guard Ojou-sama?"

He replied with a small frown "Not just Konoka, the whole class as well. You included."

"I see."

"Well, actually its Negi's job, I'm just here to make sure he doesn't screw up."

She just simply nodded her head to that. "Oh, and by the way, don't tell Negi. He's not supposed to know. Okay?"

"Hai sensei."

* * *

Some time later, Negi and Asuna came across Setsuna, who was sticking a piece of paper above a door.

"What are you doing Setsuna-san?" Negi asked.

"It's a barrier to repel Shikigami."

"Um, I think we need to talk, so…"

"I understand. Please lead the way."

Negi and Asuna lead her to the seating area in the lobby. "So, um, Setsuna-san, you can use Japanese magic too?"

"Yes, it complements my sword skills."

"So you're like some kind of magic knight," Chamo called.

"I suppose you could say that. Ah, is it alright to discuss this in front of Kagurazaka-san."

"Yeah, it's fine."

"I'm already knee deep in this."

"I see. I will now explain the situation. The enemy's attack is escalating, if this goes on Konoka-Ojou-sama will be in harms way. We must prevent that." Turning her attention to Negi, "I heard you were genius Western Mage, can you think of anything?"

"I-I'm sorry, I'm a little inexperienced."

"So you are on our side then?" Chamo asked.

"Yes, that is what I have been saying from the beginning."

"What about that Naruto guy?"

Taking a breath to tell them that she didn't know, Negi spoke first. "I don't think he is a spy. You heard what he was saying earlier."

"Yeah, I know Aniki, but I'm still not convinced. Some of the stuff he was saying was pretty suspicious, and I think he heard swordsman-ane-san call you a mage as well."

"H-he did? Well, I suppose he must have, but still, I think we can trust him, as least for now."

"If you say so Aniki."

"Now, Setsuna-san, can you tell me more about the enemy?"

"Our enemy are Onmyou-Charm users, a division of the Kansai Magic Association. It is said that long ago in Kyoto, it was the Charm Casters who created independent magic in Japan with their Onmyoudou. They are vulnerable when casting spells just like western mages, and so summon powerful warrior spirits called 'Zanki' and 'Goki' to defend themselves. Further more, the Kansai Magic Association has deep ties to the Shinmeiryuu. We were originally a fighting force tasked with defending the capital by destroying demons. The Charm users accompanied the swords men of the Shinmeiryuu, and made a strong combination."

"Then the people of Shinmeiryuu are our enemies as well?"

"Yes… I guess I would be considered a traitor for going to the East, but as long as I can protect Ojou-sama then I am satisfied." _'It's so much easier to guard someone from up close. Don't you like her?' _Naruto's voice echoed in her head.

"Setsuna-san."

"Alright then!" Asuna shouted as she got up, "I'm glad you don't hate Konoka, that's all I need to know. I'll help too."

"Alright then, it's decided, the 3-A Guardian Angels are formed. We'll protect the class from the Kansai Magic Association." Negi declared as he dragged Setsuna and Asuna into holding their hands together in the middle of their circle.

"The enemies might attack, I'll go on patrol outside," he declared as he raced away.

"Let's go protect the student's room, Kagurazaka-san." Setsuna said as they headed back into the hotel.

* * *

Naruto was annoyed. The little snot had had another sensitive conversation where anyone could be listening in. Case in point, himself. When the trio split up in the lobby, he had to make a decision about who to follow. Then he remembered he was a master of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and created a clone to keep an eye on Negi, while the real Naruto trailed Setsuna as she wandered the halls. Meanwhile, Asuna guarded the room.

"You don't have to hide yourself from me sensei."

"Fine, fine," Naruto laughed, as he jumped down from the ceiling's support beams. The two walked together in silence, a state Naruto was not happy with. "So, if we were guarding a girl against kidnapping attempts with 4 people, what positions' would you order them to take?"

Eyebrow twitching, she asked "Are you testing me?"

"No, I'm wondering where you would want me to be."

"I think it would be best to have you patrolling the corridors heading in the opposite direction from me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Really, I thought a better position to take would be me patrolling outside. But if you're sure?"

"I am."

Naruto just grinned in response.

A few minutes later, Setsuna noticed something, and sped off back to Konoka's room, Naruto following far behind.

* * *

Clone-Naruto was bored; Negi was just wondering around and didn't seem to be paying any attention to his surroundings at all. He seemed more interested in chatting with his ermine and fiddling with a card than watching for enemies.

Well, that is until a giant monkey carrying Konoka landed right in front of him.

"Monkey!"

"Ara," the monkey said, "I ran into you just then. You're the cute little mage."

On closer inspection, it was a glasses wearing woman in a monkey outfit.

"Konoka-san" he yelled when he noticed who the girl was, "Hold it right there, Monkey-san!" and when she failed to comply he began a spell, "Ras Tel Mas Scir-" before he was interrupted by a swarm of monkeys restraining him and preventing him from chanting.

He was saved by the lucky intervention of Asuna and Setsuna, and as soon as he was free of the monkey's the chase was on.

Seeing as his master hadn't had an appearance yet, clone-Naruto followed the monkey-woman unseen, and hopped the boss wasn't far behind.

They ran straight into a train station and onto a train just before the doors snapped shut. By the time the child mage was orientated, the Kage Bunshin was already hidden, none the wiser. He really did love that camouflage sheet that the Sandaime had given him.

"Stop!"

"Heh, guess it's time for my second charm. Charm-san, Charm-san, help my escape." She chanted, a monkey on her shoulder throwing the charm forward.

"Then it began gush out high pressure water, quickly flooding the whole car. As Negi and his two students struggled for air, the clone was having problems of its own, trying to stay out of sight, and avoid being popped.

Struggling for air, Setsuna thought _'I can't swing my sword in this water… I guess I'm still unqualified for, Ojou-sama. No, I will protect her!'_ With thoughts of Konoka to give her strength, Setsuna used Zankuusen to destroy the door, and with that the water level lowered, allowing the three (+ clone) to breath.

Unfortunately, they had arrived at the next the next stop, and as soon as possible, she ran again, and as they followed, Setsuna explained the anger the Kansai Magical Association felt when Konoka left for Mahora, and how it was possible that they planned to use her for a hostile take over. The clone was left behind.

After she was done, they finally caught up to the monkey woman, only now she was out of the suit.

"Good job chasing me so far, but no further. My third Charm will take care of you."

"I won't let you damn it!" Setsuna shouted as she lunged forward and prepared to strike.

"Charm-san, Charm-san, help me escape!" she invoked, throwing the charm forward, blocking Setsuna's dash with a wall of fire in the shape of a spread eagle man. "Third Charm Technique: Kyoto 'Dai' Character Burn." As the heat forced the swordsman back, Monkey-san stopped to gloat, "Hohoho, those flames will repel any normal person. Well then, this is goodbye." she continued with a wave. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't facing a normal person. Negi was already chanting.

"Ras Tel Ma Scil Magister Flet, Une Vente. Flans Saltatio Pulverea" and with a thrust of his wand the fire was blown away. "I won't let you escape; Konoka-san is one of my student, and a precious friend.

* * *

Naruto followed from far behind as his fellow teacher and two of his students chased the giant monkey, careful not to let Negi or Asuna see him. This was all well and good, at least until they got on a train that immediately started moving as soon as they were on board, forcing Naruto to stick to the side as is it sped through the Kyoto, practically freezing him. Then the chase continued, both Naruto's together now. "Position yourself in her path so she can't get away," he ordered his clone, who quickly complied. The real Naruto came in through the same entrance as Negi, and was soon in hiding again.

He was cold and he was tired, but when he heard Negi declare that he would protect his student, Naruto was glad he followed. Now if only Negi did well enough that he didn't have to interfere, Naruto would be happy.

"Activate the contract for 180 seconds for the ministra Magi of Magister Negi, Kagurazaka Asuna" Negi chanted, his wand in his left hand and the card floating inched above his raised right palm. Immediately Asuna flushed and began to glow.

'What's that?' Naruto thought. It seemed quite impressive, but due to his inability to sense magic, he had no clue at all.

"Sakurazaki-san, let's go!" Asuna shouted.

"Ah, yes." She replied, before all three rushed forward.

While running, Negi called out to Asuna, but Naruto was to far away to hear what exactly was said, but he did see it when Negi held out his palm and the card disappeared, followed by a bright light in Asuna's hands that turned into an amazing… paper fan? Well, a giant fan at least. Naruto was instantly reminded of Temari and her giant fan; and he began to compare the two. Temari's was bigger for one, and had metal at the ends for stability, while Asuna's just seemed to stand on its own. Temari's could also fold out, while it seemed Asuna's fan lacked that ability. All and all, he was a bit disappointed; he had expected something a bit more impressive.

From Asuna's reaction, he wasn't the only one. Nevertheless, Asuna continued her assault, surprising Naruto.

Both Asuna and Setsuna attacked with a simple downward slash, but were blocked by a giant monkey and a giant teddy bear. Taking a second to regroup, they attacked again, and this time, Asuna's attack was a success and the giant monkey was disintegrated into smoke.

Suddenly they switched, Asuna engaged the giant teddy bear while Setsuna went to retrieve Konoka. She was almost there when she was intercepted. She managed to send her opponent tumbling out of the air, but it sent her skidding back, and by the time she had properly recovered, so had her opponent.

She had blonde hair and seemed to be wearing glasses, but Naruto was to far away to properly tell. It seemed she was also a swordswoman, but she also seemed to be carrying a small dagger as well.

A minute later and they were attacking each other again, and it seemed that Setsuna's opponent had the upper hand as she was being pushed back. _'Well, we can't have that, can we?'_ Naruto thought to himself. Now that they were suitably distracted, Setsuna with the swordswoman, Asuna with the monkey and Negi, who was currently casting a spell, Naruto could get closer to the battle, making it easier to interfere if necessary.

Unfortunately for Negi, the opponent reflexively hid behind Konoka, forcing him to cancel his attack. Naruto was further impressed by the control magic users had, it would have been much more difficult to cancel a Jutsu like that.

Luckily, he was now close enough to hear what they were saying again. "Please let go of Konoka-san" Negi was saying, "this isn't fair."

_'Of course it isn't, it's a battle, and you're supposed to do anything to win.'_

"I know your type, you're too weak. You'll back off as soon as there is a possibility of the hostage being injured." She soon confidently stood up, laughing with Konoka slung over her shoulder. "Hohohohoho, this girl sure came in handy. She makes a great human shield."

"What are you planning to do with Konoka!?"

"Well, I guess we'll use drugs and spells to control her. She'll be a puppet who will do what ever we say. Hehe, it'll be great!"

"Wha?", "What did you say?" Negi and Asuna growled. Setsuna just twitched.

'_Five seconds. They have five seconds to beat her; otherwise I'm doing it myself.'_

"Looks like we win this time!" _Five._ Taking a glance at Konoka, she seemed to just realise how Konoka's ass was on show. "Konoka-Ojou-sama sure has a nice white butt, doesn't she?" _Four._ "See you later, you little brats," _Three._ "and goodbye from her ass too." She finished with a spank. _Two._

"What the hell are you doing to Konoka/Ojou-sama!!" both Setsuna and Asuna cried as they charged forward, instantly finishing their own opponents. Meanwhile, Negi was finishing his spell. _One._

"Flans Exclamatio!" and with that opening wave both the monkey cosplayer and Konoka were stripped and in the air. Before she could recover, Asuna was delivering another blow, and soon after Setsuna unleashed her own attack, Hi Ken Hyakka Ryouran, an upward slash that sent the enemy flying.

Konoka was free and safe now, while the now nude woman was struggling to get up. She managed it though, and soon she had another summon out, while the blonde swordswoman searched for her glasses. Instead of attacking, she fled on her monkey, the blonde hanging off its tail.

"After them."

"There's no need to pursue her Kagurazaka-san."

"Hey, hey, is Konoka-nee-san alright?"

"Konoka-Ojou-sama! Please, get a hold of yourself!"

Lifting Konoka up, they placed her upper body on Setsuna's lap and covered her with Setsuna's jacket.

"Huh, Se-chan?" she muttered as she regained consciousness. "Ah, Se-chan… I had a dream… I was kidnapped by these strange monkey's, but Se-chan, Negi-kun, Asuna and Naruto-sensei came to save me."

"It's alright now, everything's going to be fine now, Konoka-ojou-sama."

Surprised, Konoka gave a big smile, "I'm so happy to know you don't hate me, Se-chan." She even had tears at the corner of her eyes.

Blushing, Setsuna replied, "I wanted to talk to Kono-chan as well, and-" she cut herself off before she could continue, before suddenly backing off and bowing. "I apologize. I'm just happy that I was able to protect Kono-, I mean Ojou-sama. It's probably best if I-" '_It's so much easier to guard someone from up close. Don't you like her?_' "I'm sorry," she shouted as she fled.

"Ah, Se-chan!"

"Setsuna-san."

"I suppose it's not easy to suddenly get along with Konoka again. Hey, Sakurazaki-san! We'll take a look around Nara tomorrow, it's a promise!"

Setsuna took a quick glance back, before she began to run again.

Seeing her friends' distress, Asuna was quick to reassure her, "Don't worry Konoka, it'll be okay."

"But… Hey, wait, why am I dressed like this? I'm naked."

"Um, that's because, err…"

Naruto listened as they began making their way back to the hotel. That had been rather informative. He got to watch all three of them fight and got an assessment of their skill level. Of the three, Setsuna was defiantly the strongest, but Asuna was no push over either. Negi's spells had also impressed him, though the boy could have been more interactive in the fight.

'_Setsuna ran away and left her charge again. She better be at least watching her from afar or something, otherwise she's going to get punished with detention. Can I even give detention?' _

For a first look at their fighting abilities it was okay, but to truly get an accurate assessment he would have to watch a fight that pushed them to their limits.

After waiting until they were far enough ahead, he began to shadow them back to the hotel as well.

* * *

Clone Naruto did as the real Naruto ordered, and waited to if the enemy escaped, but after 5 minutes it was obvious they weren't. He still kept guard though, and he was glad they did when spotted a giant monkey floating away. He gave chase.

10 minutes later he found the enemy. Now she was in a group of 4, one adult woman, one teenage girl and two 10 year old boys, but from this angle it was difficult to see their faces. Attempting to get a closer look, he was suddenly popped when one of the boys turned to face him.

Receiving the memory from his clone, the real Naruto frowned. It was obvious that this wasn't over.

* * *

Abilities used this Chapter:

I'll be naming the abilities used each chapter, but if it comes up more than three times, I expect you t remember.

Ninja: Kage Bunshin. Do I really have to explain?

Magic: Ras Tel Ma Scir. Nagi's activation key. All Mages have their own unique phrase, and this one belongs to Negi.

Flans Excalmatio: Wind Flower, Disarm Weapon.

Flet, Une Vente. Flans Saltatio Pulverea: Blow! Gust of Wind! Wind Flower! Wind and Dirt, Dance Wildly!

Sword: Shinmeiryuu: Setsuna's sword style

Zanganken: Stone cutting sword. Not named in this fic, but used when Setsuna attacks Naruot and Negi in the onsen

Hyakuretsu Okazan: Hundred-Strike Cherry Blossom Slash

Zankuusen: Air cutting flash

Hi Ken Hyakka Ryouran: Chaos of a Hundred Flowers

By the way, tell me if you don't like me using alternate fonts for magic, I'll change it and just use italics if say, 3 people say so. Or did it even stick? Hmm, we'll soon see

A lot of this chapter is just retelling canon with Naruto commenting on it at times, sorry about that.

About suddenly switching from trying to get Negi to call him Naruto, I decided that he would settle for nii-san. Partly because I think he would, and partly because I just cannot imagine Negi referring to more or less anyone without –san. My keyboard practically rebelled at my attempts.


	9. Kyoto Trip: Nara

When Negi woke up the next morning, he was hoping for a nice, quiet day. You would have thought he'd have known better by now, wouldn't you? He took a quick glance at his roommate, Naruto, and couldn't help but frown.

The teen had come in half an hour after Negi had arrived back at the hotel, and told him that he had just been patrolling the corridors, making sure the students weren't getting into too much trouble. Honestly, Negi didn't think Naruto was a spy, but Chamo had pointed out that a good third of his students were still sleeping off the alcohol, and if he really was checking up on them, then he would also know that three of them were missing.

Watching Naruto sleep, Negi really didn't know what to think of him. He seemed like a good person, and had helped him out when Setsuna attacked him, but there was just so much he didn't know about the blond that it was hard to trust him. Even worse, there was a chance he knew about Negi being a mage as well, but he couldn't confront him because he might not have heard Setsuna when she was talking to herself in the bath.

Worrying about Naruto, Konoka and completing his mission, Negi got dressed in his suit and made for the grand hall and breakfast, leaving Naruto to sleep.

* * *

When Naruto woke up, he felt terrible. He was tired, hungry and wasn't as recovered as he'd hoped. From what he could tell, instead of his chakra recovery accelerating like it should have been, ever since he had left the campus it had actually slowed down. Just another reason to stay at Mahora, really.

Right now though, he didn't really have time to think on it. A rather tall and intimidating student was leaning over his face, finger extended like she was going to poke him in the eye. It was Mana. Taking a quick glance around the room, he found Negi gone and the rest of group four (Mana, Makie, Ako, Yuna and Akira) huddled at the door, sneaking glances at him, but mainly just blushing madly and looking away.

Taking a quick glance down, he found out why. His yukata had opened up in the night and most of his upper body was on display. With a small blush, he fixed his clothes and asked, "What are you doing in here?"

"We were asked to collect you sensei, we are leaving for Nara shortly and did not want you to be left behind." Mana told him.

"Where's Negi, why didn't he wake me up?"

"I believe Negi-sensei is travelling with group 5 today, and is waiting at the bus. Why he didn't wake you, I don't know."

"You'll be with us today sensei!" Makie cheerfully told him. "After Negi decided to go in Honya-chans group, we managed to get everyone to agree to let us have you."

Eye twitching, ('_What am I, a prize?'_) Naruto asked, "And how did you manage that?"

"Well," Yuna began, "all the other groups have at least one person you've spent time with, so it was only fair you spent time with us too. Besides, Mana-san insisted."

"Did she now? Why was that?"

"It's only fair." Mana replied.

Giving her a half confused, half exasperated stare, "Then I guess its fine. Just let me get dressed and get something to eat and we'll go."

"Um, sensei, I don't think we have time for that. The bus is waiting for us." Ako told him.

"You want me to go dressed like this?"

Blushing, Ako stuttered, "I-I-I meant to e-eat."

"Alright, just get out so I can get changed. Or would you rather watch," he teased, causing all but Mana to flush red and rush out the room. Mana however, seemed to be taking him up on his offer. "Just get out!" he yelled when he saw her lack of movement, and then pushed her out the room.

As he was getting changed, he had a feeling he was being watched. Spinning on his heel, he heard the door close with a snap. Someone had been spying on him. Frowning, he kept an eye on the door as he dressed, but they didn't try again.

He left the room a few minutes later wearing a pair of blue jeans, a white t-shirt and a dark orange jacket, and found the entire group waiting for him. He followed them onto the bus, where Negi marked them off and followed them on. "You could've woken me up." Naruto told him.

"Sorry, but I didn't think you would sleep so long." Negi defended himself.

The bus ride was full of idle chatter, and Naruto took this opportunity to ask where they were going. Giving him a funny look, Akira answered him, "We are going to Nara. Don't you think that as a teacher you should know that?"

'_Oh yeah, that's right, it's the group activity bit of the trip, isn't it?'_ he thought to himself. To Akira, he said, "Oh yeah, I remember now, it's just that I'm still mostly asleep. What's in Nara anyway?"

"Well, there are lots of shrines and temples, and there's going to be lots of deer, that should be nice."

'_Nara is famous for its deer. What the hell, Shika, was this place named after your family or something? Actually, that is possible.'_ "How old is Nara anyway?"

"I'm not really sure, but one of the Library girls might know. You'll have to ask them later."

"Never mind, it's not that important anyway. Is there anywhere in particular that we are going, or are we just going from place to place?"

"I want to visit a nearby shrine," Mana told them, "I have something to deliver."

"Sounds good to me." "Yeah, that's fine." "Alright, first stop, Mana-san's shrine." The rest of the group agreed.

"Can we find somewhere to eat first, I'm starving?"

"I'm sorry sensei, you should have just gotten up on time like the rest of us," Yuna told him rather smugly. Naruto just glowered at her.

"Tell you what Naruto-sensei, since we're forcing you to come with us, we'll treat you to lunch." Mana told him.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Soon after, Naruto practically jumped off the bus as the doors opened, breathing in the fresh air. The rest of the students filed out more quietly. Walking away from the girls, he slipped away. Or at least he tried to. He had to stop and re-think that plan though, when he spotted Mana. She looked like she was heading this way, probably to make sure he didn't run away. _sigh_ '_Guess not._' After a moments wait, Mana was soon at his side.

"Hey Mana-chan. Where're you going?"

"I could ask you the same thing sensei."

"Me? I was just stretching my legs a little. What about you?"

"The same," she replied. "But, I think it is time we returned to our group, don't you?"

"Yep," he said with a grin, and they made their way back to the waiting group 4. With a quick look around, he soon found Negi and group 5, but they were already leaving. _'Sorry Negi, but it looks like you're on your own.'_

Nara Park was filled with beautiful tame deer, completely at ease in the presence of humans, and there were various food stands along the paved walkways. Naruto gravitated towards the food, only to be stopped when he felt soft hands wrap around his arm, and begin to pull him towards the nearest group of deer. It was Makie.

As she hesitantly reached a hand out to stroke a nearby deer, a second and then a third soon surrounded them. Feeling a hard tap on the small of his back, Naruto fell forward slightly, and when he turned around he find one of the largest deer in the area. He lifted his hand to its head and the beast began to happily nuzzle his hand.

When the deer knocked Naruto forward, Makie tightened the grip on his arm and hid behind him, thinking to herself 'Naruto-kun is really strong' as she felt the strong muscles hidden beneath his clothes. When the deer showed itself to be friendly, Naruto felt the death grip she held on his arm relax considerably. Seeing her distress, he told her "It's alright, they're not going to hurt you, they're probably just curious." She proceeded to follow his example, slowly sticking her own hand towards the beast's muzzle.

The deer gave Makie's palm an experimental lick, causing her to let out a small giggle. It seemed to much prefer Naruto though, continuing to try to lick and nuzzle his arm, causing him to laugh as it tickled his palm with its warm tongue.

"Hey, Naruto-sensei," Akira called, sounding a bit worried. He wondered why, but soon found out. Giving the large deer an affectionate pat on the head, Naruto turned to find himself almost surrounded by the furry animals. Feeling Naruto's arm tense up, Makie turned to investigate as well. When Naruto felt the grip on his arm increase to almost painful levels, he looked at the scared girl that was clinging to his arm. She was tense and obviously afraid of the multitude of deer. When he started to move, slowly and carefully through the herd, he felt Makie bury her face in his arm. Slowly and carefully, he made his way through the herd, which did nothing more than take occasional sniffs as he past.

Once he was free he let out a breath he didn't even realise he had been holding and made his way back to the rest of the group. Turning his attention to the girl who still hadn't opened her eyes, he got her attention with a tap on the head. When she looked up, he told her "Don't worry, its safe now." When looked, she did find them safe, the deer were no longer surrounding them and were just watching the two of them as they left, staring. Even so, Makie continued to cling to him until all the deer were well out of sight.

* * *

"So, where's this shrine then?" he asked a few minutes later.

"Just at the end of this path," Mana responded. The path in question was lined with stone lanterns, and led to the shrine.

True to her word, they soon reached the shire, a large and red wooden building in the eastern style.

Mana soon left the group to explore while she ran her errand. Looking around the, Naruto couldn't help but be impressed. The scenery nearby was beautiful, and he found himself wondering aimlessly. The girls had disappeared by themselves in search of the nearby shrine to make wishes by hanging Ema, leaving Naruto to his own devices.

While wondering the halls and admiring the bronze lanterns, Naruto came across the oldest man he had ever met (barring Madara). The man was small and covered with wrinkles, but his eyes were bright, and Naruto just knew that this man was smart.

The elderly man gave a small bow, one that Naruto felt inclined to return. "Well met, young man." He said in a soft voice.

"Well met, oji-san."

"I must say, I never expected to meet one such as your self." The old man began.

"Erm, I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

"I apologize; I meant I never expected to meet such a young Sage."

"W-w-what? How did you know that?" Naruto demanded.

"I have been a Kannushi for over 60 years, living in the presence of an enshrined Kami," he calmly stated. "I can tell with a glance if someone has become one with the natural energies of the world. Most work for years in meditation to achieve enlightenment, but you, who can't be more than 18 years old, have done so. When I saw you I was stunned, I thought this old mind of mine had finally cracked." He said with a smile. "So, young Sage, I have just one question."

"Erm," Naruto stumbled, not entirely sure what he should do, "what's the question?"

"Will you tell me your name?"

"Sure, but why does it matter?"

"Names are important, and I would be honoured to know the name of such an enlightened young man."

Nodding his head, Naruto agreed, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, what's yours?"

"Kouhei."

Before the Kannushi could say anything else, they were interrupted by group 4, who had finally returned from making a wish or delivering something, and had been searching for their teacher for some time. Approaching Naruto, they stopped when they noticed who he was talking to, Mana even when so far as to bow. All five girls waited for their teacher to finish.

"Hehe, looks like my students have found me."

Surprised, the old man waved the girls over, and they reluctantly approached. "Students, eh? Well, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised that you teach, but 4 young girls. Well, I suppose some people are lucky like that."

"What?" he replied, confusion clear on his face, though the faces of the 4 girls in question blushed a pretty pink. Mana was more shocked and annoyed than embarrassed; she hadn't been included as a young girl. How old did that guy think she was? 14, damn it, she was 14, why didn't anyone ever believe her?

"Oh, if you want to keep it quiet, I won't stop you," he continued. "Now, how much has Sage Naruto taught you?"

"Sage?" the girls muttered.

"They didn't know I was a Sage." Naruto angrily told him.

"But, you said they were your students."

"Not my students in that. I'm working in a school."

"I'm sorry Sage Naruto, please forgive me." He bowed low.

"Its fine, you didn't know," he sighed.

"Umm, what's a Sage?" Makie asked.

"Isn't that what they call a wise man?" Akira answered.

"Yes, it is." Naruto told them. "I'm a form of wise man, now I think it would be best if we got something to eat."

The girls nodded their agreement, and led him to a nearby restaurant, where he proceeded to stuff his face, all at Mana's expense, which she seemed oddly pleased by. The rest of the day trip to Nara past without incidence.

* * *

When Naruto returned in the evening, he found Negi rolling around and panicking on the lobby floor.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"Nothing! Nobody confessed to me or anything!" Negi reflexively answered.

"Of course not, your only 10. Who would confess to a little kid?" he dismissed.

The girls who had been observing from around the corner, on the other hand, knew their teacher better. Streaming from around the corner, Ayaka, Makie and Yuna and immediately started to bombard him with questions. Faced with his inquisitive students, Negi faced them like a man, by running away and lying. The girls gave chase, leaving behind a bemused Naruto, a worried Asuna and a less worried Setsuna.

Approaching the girls, he greeted them with a "Yo," and got straight to the point, "What was up with him?"

"He's just a little stressed from the trip; a lot of things have happened to him recently." Asuna responded.

"So what drove him over the edge, he wasn't that bad before?"

"Its nothing-" Asuna began, but Setsuna cut her off.

"A classmate confessed her love to Negi-sensei."

"B-but he's 10." Naruto said, and instead of his earlier dismissive tone, this time his voice was mixed with shock.

"Sakurazaki-san, you shouldn't have told him that!" Asuna scolded. "Please don't tell anyone else, it will only cause trouble." She told the blond.

"Yeah, fine" Naruto answered her, still quite dazed.

They soon disappeared around a corner, and Naruto returned to his room to rest.

* * *

In another room entirely, two students were having a discussion.

"So, what did you find out de gozaru?"

"Not much. I couldn't really test him with the others there, so I just stuck with observing him."

"And…" the tall ninja prompted.

"He doesn't act like a front line soldier; he's too carefree and happy. He definitely works out though; he has an amazing body, but no scars. He had absolutely no visible scars on his torso, arms or hands, which doesn't make sense. He should at least have some calluses from training or martial arts. If he's been training for as long as he says, it's impossible not to at least have some physical sign of it other than toned muscles.

"We also visited a Shinto shrine when I was completing another job. The group split up, and Naruto-sensei found himself before the head Kannushi. From what I could tell, they were just introducing themselves when we found them. He called Naruto-sensei a Sage, and mistook us for his students in that. How he could be mistaken for a wise man is beyond me, but he acted like it was true. The Kannushi even bowed low and apologized to him, I couldn't believe it when I first saw it. What about you, what did you find?"

"Why, interested de gozaru? Here I thought this was just a job to you."

"Shut it and spill."

"Why, Mana, you are the curious one today, aren't you?"

Said girl just glared.

"There were a couple of things that I found odd, de gozaru. He had this headband with a bit of metal on the front. It had a strange spiral design on it, but I don't know what it meant. I also found some strange pills. They were large, brown and looked more like candy than a pill."

"How do you now it isn't candy then?"

"The note said that they were solider pills, what ever that means."

"Note, what note?"

"I was getting to that, before _someone_ interrupted me," she accused. "There was a note attached to the bag with the pills. It said that he left his home in self-exile. I wonder why?"

"This is getting interesting," Mana commented. "Now, about my fee…"

Sighing, Kaede said, "I guess there is no helping it, how much do I owe you?"

"Well, my usual fee for a simple observation mission is 2,500 yen, but seeing as it's you, 3,000 yen. Plus, I expect you to reimburse me for treating Naruto-sensei to lunch."

Keeping up that serene smile, Kaede handed Mana her fee. Money in hand, Mana gave a rather smug grin before leaving. "You do understand what this means, don't you?" Kaede asked her before she closed the door.

"Of course I do, and this time, I _will_ win."

"Game on." The ninja said as the door closed with a snap.

Meanwhile, Negi's Mage status had been discovered by another of his students, one Asakura Kazumi, affectionately known as the human database of class 3-A, and an unholy alliance of Chamo and Number 03 was formed.

* * *

Sometime later, Negi returned back to his room, only to find Naruto looking for something in his bag.

"Hello Naruto-nii-san."

Naruto turned his attention to the young Mage, "Oh, hey Negi. Have you been going through my stuff?"

"What! Of course not, I would never breach your privacy like that!"

"Chill," he told the boy, "I was just asking, and it's not like I would have minded anyway. It is a bit weird though, I could have sworn someone's been through it. Oh well, never mind," he sighed. Taking a seat across from Negi, he said "So, I heard a girl confessed to you."

"Waaaaah! What are you talking about, nobody confessed to me?" Negi panicked and turned bright red.

"If you say so, but if you ever want to talk about I'll be more than happy to help. This is just the kind of things guys talk about, after all. One of my friends, Kiba, sometimes he just wouldn't shut up about the girl he was seeing, Nia I think her name was. He loved to talk about her, it was really kinda annoying." Naruto said with a laugh.

"W-What about you Naruto-nii-san, have you ever dated?"

"Me? No, never. I was too busy. I had so much to do I didn't even have time to think about something like that."

"So you've never been confessed to either then?"

'_I'm not afraid to die protecting you, because __**I love you**__!' 'Naruto, I came here to tell you, __**I love you.**__' 'It's because __**I love you**__.'_

"Actually, I have," Naruto began sadly. "Three times."

"Really, but you just-"

"I never dated any of them," he cut Negi off. "The first time, I was so shocked. It was the first time that anyone had ever said anything like that to me. In fact, it was the first time _anyone_ had ever said those word to me. Whenever I saw her after that, I didn't know what to do or say. I mean, I had always thought of her as nothing more than a friend. I thought on it, but in the end I ended up just putting my reply off, until it was too late."

"The second time was worse, because it was faked." Naruto continued. "She was my childhood crush, and that never really goes away. She specifically sought me out to tell me she loved me because she thought it would free me from a promise I made to her. I thought it was really weird for her to do something like that, and I told her so. She got angry and stormed off."

"How did you know it was fake?"

"She loved someone else, something I had known for years. That was why I had tried so hard to get over my feelings for her. To be honest, they never did fully go away."

"What about the third?"

"That one, well, I think that one is a story for another day." He concluded.

"I-I don't know what to do about the confession," he admitted. "What do you think I should do?"

"I don't know what you should do either; this kind of thing is something that you've got to decide for yourself. There are a few things you should ask yourself though, like 'how do you feel about her?'" he said with a raised eyebrow, expecting an answer.

"I've only ever thought about her as one of my students."

"How well do you know her?"

"Not very well."

"Fair enough," he shrugged. "Then the only thing I can suggest is this; get to know her better. That was the decision I had made in regards to Hinata, but like I said, I never got the chance."

"Hinata, isn't that the name you called Miyazaki-san?"

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Miyazaki-san was the one who confessed to me," Negi admitted. "She's so shy it really took me by surprise."

"Yeah, Hinata was really shy too, and as I later learned, a bit of a stalker."

"What, really?"

"Yep, she was so shy it was an effort for her to look me in the eye. She even fainted once, when I got too close to her."

"I was surprised by the stalking, actually."

"Oh yeah, that really surprised me when I found out. Apparently she had been watching me since we kids, and I never really noticed. It was a bit creepy to be honest." Sighing, Naruto said, "I guess in this part of our lives, we're alike, the shy one loves us."

"Can you tell me about one of the other girls that confessed to you?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. Her name was Sakura, and like I said she was my childhood crush. She was really cute, and the smartest girl in my class, but she liked someone else. Every time I asked her out, she rejected me, often with a punch if I ever got her on a bad day."

"She hit you?"

"Yep, all the time." He declared without a moment's hesitation or shame. "A lot less as we got older though, and only when I deserved it. She had quite the temper, but she gradually warmed up to me, and started to care and worry about my well being. I really miss her." he finished, and Negi couldn't help but think about how much sadness there was in those final words.

"Ah, Naruto-nii-san, are you alright?" Negi rushed towards him, intending to help.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he waved Negi off. "It's just; I really do miss my friends, all of them."

An uneasy silence followed, as Naruto composed himself and Negi, who didn't know what to say, stayed quiet.

"Ahhhhhh!" a voice shrieked in what sounded like glee, breaking the quiet, followed by the sound of giggling and banging that was coming from the other rooms.

"Well, sounds like our students are having fun." Naruto said with a grin, one that looked slightly forced in Negi's opinion. "I think I'll go investigate, and then see about having a bath," he told Negi as he left the room.

* * *

Arriving at the scene, he heard one of the older teachers yelling, telling the girls that if they were found out side their rooms they would be forced to sit in Seiza in the lobby as punishment.

"Isn't that a little harsh?" he asked the eldest teacher, the one that was shouting.

He rounded on him, "Negi has always been a bit too soft on these girls, and I they need the discipline."

"Geez, alright, alright," he told the man as he left, before blowing a raspberry at him. "Alright girls, since I don't care, you don't have to do anything if I'm the one that catches you, but I'm not going to help either, understood?"

"Hai sensei!" they replied before Naruto left them, heading for the bath.

The girls had other ideas than bed though, and Asakura had the perfect game to play.

* * *

Authors notes

The Shinto shrine described in this chapter was _Kasuga-taisha _or Kasuga grand shrine, and I hope I gave a decent description of it.

The Ema that the other members of group 4 left to make wishes with is actually a little joke. According to wiki, (not super reliable, but this is fanfic) I got the impression that the Ema shrine there (or at least one of them) is famous for a certain type of wish, i.e. bigger breast. It felt really suitable considering the girls who visited it. I know you should never explain the joke, but this time I felt I should.

Okay, now the barrier that is affecting Naruto. Although a little too early in the story to fully explain, I will say this. Barrier is meant to be a prison for Eva, but affecting Naruto. It can't stop him from leaving, but as he is partially under its effects, it is negatively affecting him.

Think of it like this, Eva is only allowed to wander Mahora. It'll stop her if she tries to leave. Naruto is under a diluted affect, so it is trying to stop him, but can't.

I feel as though I spent to much time on Naruto talking about Hinata, but as I have already mentioned, they are similar so it was only natural that that was the main parallel he could draw from his own life.


	10. Kyoto Trip: Kissing Game

"Why don't we, and the rest of class 3-A, play a little game?" Asakura enticed.

"A game, what sort of game?" Makie asked as the twins shouted their opinions on the matter.

"Let's just call it… 'The War of the Lips', a plan to get a 'love love' kiss with Negi-sensei.

"Whoa, a kiss with Negi-kun?"

"Hey, quiet, Nitta-sensei may come back. Alright, the rules are simple: each group picks 2 people. All they have to do is not get caught by Nitta-sensei and the other teachers, and get a kiss from Negi-sensei, who is somewhere in the building. You can sabotage other teams, nut the only weapon you can use is a pillow. Those who do well get a prize, however, if you get caught you can't tell him about the game, and will have to sit in seiza position until morning, no one can help you."

"That's harsh-aru!"

"What's the prize?"

"It's a secret," Asakura said with a wink, "but you should really be looking forward to it."

"Alright, sounds interesting."

"It's worth it if it is a kiss with Negi-kun."

"Wait," Fuuka interrupted them, "what about Naruto-sensei? Do we get anything if we kiss him?"

Taking a quick glance at the hidden Chamo, who shook his head, she told them, "The main prize is for Negi, but if you really want to, we'll give you a consolation prize if you kiss Naruto-sensei. Any other questions?"

"Nope," was the general response. Well, apart from Ayaka, who was staggering towards Asakura like she was drunk. Grabbing the girl's shoulders, she gave her opinion on the matter, "Let's do it. As class president, I approve."

"Er, thanks."

"Alright, every group should tell me who the constants are before 10:30! The game begins at 11:00."

"Yeah!" they shouted, before going back to their rooms to discuss who would be competing.

"Huhu, how was that?" she asked Chamo. "Everything went well, right?"

"Yep, just as expected from nee-san. Everything is going according to plan. My big 'Love Love Kiss' operation is only the first stage, the real heart of the matter are these," he declared, holding up three cards, each with a picture on them, one of a chibi Konoka in a white robe, another with a chibi Asuna, and the third a normal Asuna holding a sword, "Pactio Cards! We're gonna get a whole bunch of them!"

"So this is the prize, huh?"

"Yep, the more we collect the better. Aniki has the originals, but these are copies I made for the partners. I've already drawn a magic circle around the perimeter of the inn. So if anyone kisses Negi on the grounds, we'll be able to establish a contract immediately." Smiling as much as an ermine could, Chamo continued, "Seeing as each card pays 50,000 ermine dollars, if we get everybody, we're gonna be millionaires!"

"What's more, we've got a betting pool open too. We're going to be swimming in it. Ha ha, I just can't stop laughing." A few minutes later, once they had both calmed down, Asakura asked "Will anything happen if one of the girls kisses Naruto-sensei?"

"Nope, I set the magic circle so that Negi is designated Magister Magi. Even if Naruto is a mage, a kiss wouldn't give them anything."

"Oh well, to late for that now. Let's just hope more go after Negi than Naruto."

Meanwhile, the bathing Naruto sneezed, and with a strange shiver thought, _'I have a bad feeling.'_

* * *

At almost 11 o'clock, Asuna and Setsuna entered Negi and Naruto's room, finding Naruto absent and Negi bored.

"We're back from patrolling."

"Okay, I'll go on the next patrol," Negi volunteered. "I'm getting a really weird feeling, like I shouldn't be here or something…"

"Yeah, I kind of feel it too," Setsuna added.

"Won't Naruto and the other teachers worry if you disappear in the middle of the night?"

"You can use these 'Substitution Stencils'," the swordswoman offered.

"Hmm, what are they?" Negi asked before the door was slammed open, Asuna and Setsuna just barely managing to hide. It was Shizuna-sensei.

"Negi-sensei, it's almost time to go to bed." She told him.

"I was just about to go to sleep," he lied.

"We'll watch over the students, so leave everything to us. Since you're only 10, you can sleep when the students do."

"Okay," he answered.

"Don't leave your room, okay?" she called as she ran down the halls. Once out of sight, she took off her wig, revealing herself to be Asakura. "Alright Chamo, let's get this game started."

* * *

"Alright, before we get this game started, I'd like to introduce you to the teams! From Group 1 we have Fuuka and Fumika, the twin pranksters."

"But Onee-chan, I hate Seiza."

"It's fine, we won't get caught, and we might even get to kiss Naruto-sensei."

"Don't you mean Negi-sensei?"

"Yeah, of course I do!" Fuuka yelled back, bright red.

"From Group 2 we have Ku Fei and Nagase Kaede, two formidable opponents from the Baka-Rangers!"

"Oh, what'll we do if we win; it'll be my first kiss you know."

"So, are you after Naruto-sensei or Negi-sensei?"

"Negi of course, I want the prize-aru."

"Hopefully they'll be together then."

"Hey, what do you mean by that-aru?"

"From Group 3 gives us Yikohiro Ayaka and Hasegawa Chisame, and while Chisame doesn't seem interested, Iincho is a favourite due to her huge motivation."

"Urgh, why me?" Chisame groaned.

"Quit complaining and back me up. I won't let anyone get Negi's lips."

"Group 4 gives us a confidant pair, Sasaki Makie and Akashi Yuna!"

"A kiss with Negi-kun, uhuhuhuhuh." Makie giggled

"Alright, let's win this."

"And finally, from Group 5, the team from the Library club, Ayase Yue and Miyazaki Nodoka"

"Were going to win and get you a kiss, Nodoka," Yue declared, causing said girl to blush a bright red.

"Now, you know the contestants, let this game begin!"

* * *

Shivering, Negi knew something was going on. Muttering to himself about going on patrol, he began preparing the 'Substitution Stencils' that he had been given to him by Setsuna. Writing his name on one of them using a brush, he messed up, first writing Nugi, then Migi, then Hogi Nupringfield, then Yagi, before finally writing Negi correctly.

"Alright, now to activate it. Charm-san, Charm-san, please take my place." With a flash of light the previously man shaped piece of paper transformed into an exact duplicate of Negi.

"Hello, my name is Negi," it said.

"Cool," Negi examined the copy. "We don't have anything like this in the west. Alright, now stay here and sleep in my place okay?" he ordered. "See you later," he shouted as he jumped out the window. He never did notice the magic glow which came from the trash can he had been throwing his failed attempts.

* * *

"Okay, it seems the first confrontation is approaching!" Asakura announced as she watched the monitors, which were from cameras she had stationed around the building. Each room also had a television which displayed whatever Asakura was looking at, at the time. "Groups 3 and 4 have met!" Which was true, both groups had just turned a corner when they ran into each other.

The two groups immediately attacked each other with pillows, apart from Chisame, who just walked away. That was when Ku Fei pulled a sneak attack, jumping into the action.

"It's a three-way!" Asakura called.

Naruto had just finished his bath, and was returning to his room, only to find pandemonium in the corridors. Ayaka, Yuna, Makie and Kuu Fei were all having a pillow fight, and while Naruto knew he should just walk away, some part of his mind, which sounded worryingly like Jiraiya, was urging him to stay. He inexplicably found himself listening to it, against his better judgement.

"Enjoying the show?" a voice asked to his left.

Without turning his head, Naruto answered, "A little. What are they fighting about anyway?"

"Oh, we're playing a game, if you can get a 'love love kiss with Negi-bozu, you win a prize."

"Man, Negi sure is popular in this class."

"Yes, de gozaru."

"He's still ten though." He sighed. "So what about you, why aren't you fighting?"

"My target isn't Negi-bozu. I'm after the secondary target, less competition, but harder to catch."

"Smart," Naruto agreed. "So, what is the second target?"

"You, de gozaru." She said simply.

"Ah, I see," he nodded. Then what she said began to sink in. "Wait, what?"

"Gyaaaa!" a voice called from down the hall, causing the fighting girls to freeze in their tracks. Kaede had no such fear, and made a grab for the boy beside her. Thinking quick, he ducked and rolled between the group of girls, who had just started to flee, and ran down the hall towards the scream. He passed an angry looking Nitta, who snarled at him, and a sullen looking Chisame, but the elder man didn't say anything. Kaede hadn't chased after him either, meaning he was fine for now.

* * *

"Well, this is an interesting development; it seems Nagase-san has shown her intent to claim Naruto-sensei's lips for her own. The remnants of Groups 3 and 4 also seem to have joined forces after losing one each. Naruto-sensei also seems aware of the game, but lets see if that'll stop those girls that are after him. Then again, would he really want to resist? We'll soon see." Asakura commentated.

Back with Naruto, he'd decided that it would probably be best to return to his room, the one with a balcony he could flee out of if necessary. Outside said room, he found more of his students, Fuuka, Fumiko, Yue and Nodoka. They seemed to be sizing each other up.

"Damn you Yue-kichi, that was rough. Do you really think you guys can oppose a unit of Kouga ninjas- gozaru?"

"I think that's exactly what she's thinking," Fumiko muttered.

'_They're ninjas? Don't look like it to me. Still, that bears investigating.' _Naruto thought as he watched Yue completely dominate the twin girls.

"I'll hold them off, Nodoka; you hurry up and get in there!"

'_Nodoka, as in the girl that confessed to him? Oh, well, if it's her I won't bother interfering.'_ Just as he finished that thought, he sensed arms attempt to grab him. Jumping forward, he escaped, but the noise had alerted the three fighting girls to his presence. Turning around, he looked into the eyes of his would be captor. It was Kuu Fei.

"Sorry Kaede, looks like he got away-aru. Chinese martial arts not suited to restraining targets."

"Its fine, you tried, but it looks like I'll be capturing this one myself," she told Kuu, even while she winked at him. "Why don't you try and get into Negi-bozu's room?"

"Yosh!" Kuu yelled as she charged into the fray.

"So, Naruto-sensei, are you going to let me kiss you, or do we have to do this the hard way?"

"Tell you what; I'll let you kiss me if you can catch me. Deal?"

"Deal," she agreed, charging forward in an attempt to pin him against the wall.

'_Whoa, she's fast,_' Naruto thought as he quickly sidestepped. Fleeing in the direction of the fighting girls, he saw that Kuu Fei was winning. With a quick check to see if the tall girl was following, he used the Chinese girl's back as a springboard as he flipped in mid-air, allowing him to land feet first on the end wall. With a push he flew passed the momentarily surprised girls, giving Kaede a grin when he passed her in particular, and once he was clear, turned to face her. "If you want to kiss me, you gotta catch me!" he laughed, before running down the hall, the kunoichi in hot pursuit.

The girls that had previously stopped fighting as Naruto passed over head had another reason to stop, when they heard Nodoka scream.

* * *

"It seems that Miyazaki Nodoka managed to enter Negi's room, but couldn't seal the deal. Negi-sensei has escaped; the odds are still the same. Meanwhile, Nagase goes unopposed in the Naruto hunt, who seems to be treating this as a game."

"Nee-san, nee-san." Chamo called.

"What?"

"I think I'm seeing things. It looks like there are 5 Negi-Ankis." He pointed to the screen, showing what he said to be true, there really were five Negi's wondering the halls. "I think that could be a problem," he commentated innocently.

Each Negi called had picked a girl, Ayaka, Kuu Fei, Makie, and Fumika and Yue, and each one had asked for a kiss, shocking the girls, causing various reactions, shock from Yue, happiness (guess who), confusion from Kuu Fei and the twins ("Why me/her?"), and blushing for all.

With Yue:

"Is it Okay if I kiss you, Yue-san?" the Negi in this room asked.

Red faced and shocked, Yue slowly backed away from the approaching boy. "N-Negi-sensei?"

"May I Yue-san?" he said, grasping her hand in his, before she tripped on the sleeping form of Nodoka.

"Yue-san," Negi breathed as he drew closer to her.

"Wait just a min-" she began, before catching sight of her best friend, the one that had confessed her love for the boy who, at this very moment was advancing with intent to kiss. With a sudden surge of anger, she tore into the cheating boy before her, "I've misjudged you sensei. Nodoka confessed to you, but you come after me right afterwards? You're the worst!"

"I'm sorry, but it's just, I want to kiss you so much…"

As the child teacher drew closer to her lips, Yue could feel herself succumb, even as her thoughts swirled about how wrong this was. She could feel his hot breath on her lips, and she finally decided to let go, she turned to give one last apology to her friend for this betrayal. However, as she turned her head, she caught a glance at the television screen. On it were displayed 4 other Negi's!

As the realization dawned that this was not her sensei, she finally mustered the strength to push the fake Negi off her, and demanded "Who are you?" and that was when she noticed the hands of her assailant were still firmly on her shoulders, even though said assailant was a good 3 feet away. "What?!" she yelled, waking her slumbering friend.

"Uh," she groaned, "what's going on?"

Seeing the girl wake up, the fake Negi quickly changed targets, leapt into the air, and, got stopped by Yue who knocked him out the air with a book to the back of the head.

"Y-Y-Yue, you k-k-killed him," Nodoka stuttered.

"Calm down, this Negi-sensei is an imposter." She explained. Just as she had finished, the fake turned into smoke, leaving behind a simple paper shape that Yue vaguely recognised from a book she once read.

With the death of their comrade, every other Negi in the hotel turned tail and ran, leaving 5 very disappointed girls, all of which decided that he didn't get to escape, and gave chase. Unfortunately, they met up in the lobby. The girls sprang into action, multiple Negi's be damned.

* * *

Through the halls Naruto ran, enjoying the game of cat and mouse he was playing with Kaede, even if, judging from the frown on her face, she was less than pleased. Worse were the occasional laughs, showing her that he was clearly quite happy to run. She had been chasing him for 10 solid minutes now, and she hadn't made any progress. True, neither of them were running at full speed, but they were both speeding down the corridors.

Whenever Kaede sped up to close the distance, Naruto would just speed up to match, maintaining a constant. It was quite frustrating to the young kunoichi. "Why are you running so fast," she called. "Surely the idea of kissing me isn't that bad?"

"Of course not, but you don't just expect me to let you, do you? Just what kind of guy do you take me for? Besides, it's more fun this way."

"I'm not sure this is my idea of fun."

"Well, I could just let you catch me, but I don't think you're the type to accept a fake victory. Are you?"

"Not really," she laughed back. That happiness of his sure was infectious, and if he wanted to show her his limits, then who was she to complain?

Naruto, on the other hand, was slightly confused. Sure, the idea of Kaede chasing him for a kiss was just plain strange, but what had really gotten him was her speed. He was approaching his limits without the use of chakra, and she was keeping up quite well. She didn't even seem winded! Slowing down, he made for the lobby, deciding that enough was enough, intending to tell her that, wait, what was he intending to tell her?

With that thought he stopped at the lobby doors, finding a room full Negi's. Then Kaede jumped him while he was distracted.

Amidst the explosion of a Negi clone, and the noise the girls made as they chased after the remaining Negi's, none of the girls noticed the prone form of Naruto as Kaede sat on his chest, preventing movement. They didn't notice as Naruto face grew redder and redder as the kunoichi's face drew closer to his, and they definitely didn't notice as her soft lips pressed into his, stealing a kiss.

He stared into her eyes, for he wasn't sure how long, just wondering what the heck was going on. He was only broken out of his stupor when he heard the voice of Negi, and was that Nodoka's voice he heard?

Putting a finger to his lips to indicate she should be quiet, he put his own girl troubles to one side, as he focused on his young friend's.

She quickly got off him, and commenced spying on Negi and Nodoka.

"Um, about what happened this afternoon," he started.

"N-No, no we don't have to talk about that, as long as you heard what I said, it's fine."

Heedless of her words, Negi carried on, "I'm sorry Miyazaki-san, I… to like someone, I still don't understand… of course, I like everyone in my class, but by that 'like' I mean in a student teacher relationship, so, erm, I can't give you a proper answer, but, um," he stumbled, "friends, can we start off as friends?" he finished with a smile.

Smiling back, Nodoka happily responded, "Okay."

Watching the touching scene, Naruto stood up to have a bit of fun with his follow teacher, only to witness Yue trip Nodoka up, falling into a kiss with Negi.

Grinning, Naruto decided that there was only one course of action to take. Embarrass Negi. Distracted from the sudden kiss, Negi didn't notice Naruto's approach, not until he landed a heavy pat on his back, sending the poor boy straight back into Nodoka, knocking both over, with Negi on top. _'Oops'_ he thought_, 'didn't mean to hit him that hard, but still, this is even better.'_ "Negi, Negi, Negi," he tsked, "is one kiss not enough for you, you just had to have another, didn't you? Well, were not going to stop you, and I doubt Nodoka-chan here will mind. Indulge to your hearts content!"

When Negi stood back up with a blush that could only be rivalled by the purple haired girl beside him, Naruto tried to hold back his laughter, he really did, but when he thought he heard the girl say she wouldn't mind, he cracked up. He only stopped when Kaede announced that she got the second place position, and was entitled to the prize.

"But you didn't kiss Negi-sensei!" Yue protested.

"Ah, you forget that he wasn't the only target," she explained with a glance at Naruto.

Looking at Naruto, she shouted, "You don't mean?"

"Yep," she smirked, before taking her leave.

Scowling, Naruto watched her depart. If she was going to treat the kiss as a game, then so would he. She probably just wanted a prize but didn't want to have to kiss Negi, he reasoned.

Gasping in surprise, it seemed Negi had understood the exchange. "You kissed Kaede?"

"She kissed me." He told him. "And it was just some game, it didn't mean anything. Aright, I think it's time we got you to bed," he told Negi, and that goes for you too," he told Yue and Nodoka. Not liked it mattered, as they were apparently too late. Nitta-sensei had returned, Asakura, Kaede and the rest of the game's participant's in tow. Spotting Negi and Naruto, he instantly began yelling, and the next thing he knew, most of the class were in seiza position in the lobby, Negi and himself included.

"Why do we have to do it too?!" Naruto yelled.

"As teachers you should know better than to play with your students, this is your punishment."

"Sorry Natta, but better men than you have tried," he muttered. "Hey, is that Mana-chan?" he asked, causing Nitta-sensei to turn to investigate. The moment his back was turned, Naruto made his get away.

"Sorry, Natta-sensei, but Uzumaki-sama won't be punished that easily!" he shouted as he ran.

Glaring down the corridor that he had escaped down, Nitta just decided to let it drop. "I trust you won't try anything like that," he glared. The entire class shook their heads in agreement. "I may not be able to punish him, but the rest of you are another matter," he grinned.

* * *

Authors note:

Whoo, next chapter done. I might have rushed this a little, but I hope it turned out okay.

I'm also very happy to announce that this story has the most reviews of any Naruto/Negima crossover, at least I think so. Yay, so thank you to all the reviewers out there.

This chapter is slightly smaller than the others, but I'm not going to apologize for it. As I'm sure you've noticed, I'm doing the Kyoto arc in days and nights, and this night was one of the shortest. The next day should be longer, and the next night even longer still.

Oh, and I meant Naruto to call Nitta Natta, for the lulz.


	11. Kyoto Trip: Cinema Village

Naruto woke up in a similar state to yesterday, if slightly better. He hadn't had to use any chakra, so he was better on that front; he was still tired and hungry though. He quickly got up and dressed, only to find the place mostly deserted, not a single student in sight. A quick check of the clock revealed why. It was around 9:30, and the students had been let out for free activity day at 9, meaning they'd left about half an hour earlier. _'Shit! Today is Negi's last real chance to deliver the letter, so today's the most likely day for the enemy to strike. What a day to sleep in!'_

'_Alright, calm down, think, where would they be? Like I would have any idea! Think, how would you get to the Kansai Magic Association from here? Crap, I have no clue. Well, there is only one thing to do now. Make a call.'_

_*Ring, ring,* beep* "Hello, Sakurazaki Setsuna speaking."_

"_Hey, Setsuna, it's me Naruto."_

"_How did you get this number?"_

"_Well, the headmaster gave me this phone and a list of contact numbers in case I needed to speak to anyone. Anyway, are you with Negi?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Great, could you tell me where?"_

"_We're at an arcade; it's about 20 minutes walking distance from the hotel."_

"_Yosh, I'll be there soon!"_

_*click*_

'_Alright, time to get going.'_ He thought, and he was just about to set off when a thought hit him.

_*Ring, ring* "Take the first right and then your third left. Follow the road until you reach a T-junction. Take the right road and follow it, the arcade should be on your left."_ she told him, he didn't even have to ask.

"_Thanks, Setsuna. Just one more question, what's an arcade?"_

"_Argh,"_ she groaned.

* * *

Naruto arrived at the arcade 15 minutes later to find Konoka, Haruna, Yue and Setsuna were the only one's there. Walking up to them nonchalantly, he greeted them, "Hey girls."

"Hey Naruto-sensei, what are you doing out here?"

"Oh, nothing much, just wandering around, what about you?"

"We're looking for Negi-kun, Asuna and Nodoka, have you seen them?" asked Konoka.

"No, can't say I have, sorry. Er, you don't mind if I join you for a little while, do you?"

"No, no, not at all," Konoka told him quickly. "Let's go!"

Following the girls as they walked around, he slowly fell back until he was walking along side Setsuna. "Still hanging back I see," he commented. "Ah, never mind, I guess this is just a lesson you'll have to learn through experience, and when you fail your duty, I'll have to step in," he sighed.

"I refuse to let myself fail Ojou-sama again," she told him.

"Then walk beside her, not behind her." Giving another sigh, he said, "Well, at least this is better than watching her from afar. Never mind that now, do you know where Negi is?"

"Hai, he went to deliver the letter with Kagurazaki-san. I am currently monitoring their progress through a charm."

"Any problems?"

"Yes, it appears that they have run into some sort of barrier that loops space into a dome 500 metres in diameter. If they reach the edge, they will just be transported back. They are quite literally stuck in an infinite loop. I would go to help them, but I can't leave Ojou-sama's side."

"Any other threats?"

"None so far, but it is just a matter of time."

"Alright, you tell me where they are and how to get there, and I'll help them out."

"Understood," she agreed, and proceeded to do just that.

* * *

Stopping in a nearby store, Naruto quickly found a quiet spot to create a Kage Bunshin so he could sneak away without arousing any suspicion, or at least he was going to, until a thought struck him. Konoka was likely a target as well, and this would be a perfect time to strike, with her and Negi separated. But he couldn't just leave Negi alone, and a clone wouldn't be very useful in a fight, especially with him at such low chakra levels.

Well, for that at least he had a solution. Taking out one of Sakura's special soldier pills, he quickly swallowed one. The taste wanted to make him gag, it was like month old milk mixed with rotting meat and extra sour lemons, and the texture made it difficult to swallow, but he somehow managed to get it down, even if he wished he hadn't.

It left a bitter after taste in his mouth, making him want to puke, but he could already feel it taking effect. His strength was returning, he could feel his chakra levels rise, before they just stopped. This wasn't his chakra limit, which meant that the pill had reached its limits. It was still only about 40% of his maximum, still, that would hopefully be enough.

He created his clone, and transformed himself into a random old man as he left the store, his clone right behind and headed for the 1000 gates where Negi was trapped. After all, there was only a possibility Konoka would be attacked, while for Negi it was a certainty.

* * *

A train ride and a short walk later, he found himself in front of the large wooden structures. He ran forward, jumping the sign, and soon found himself in the repeating space.

What he found there was most displeasing; Asuna was down, pinned by large black dogs who were… licking her? Okay, fair enough. Negi on the other hand, was being beaten, badly.

It was a kid, no older than Negi; he had wild black hair, and what appeared to be ears on the top of his head. He even had elongated claws, reminding Naruto of Kiba's beast transformation, and his own change when in Kyuubi mode. What really surprised him though, was the feeling the boy was giving off, it was both vaguely familiar, and completely foreign.

The black haired by was taunting Negi as he beat the boy, "Without their partner to defend them, western mages are insects! You're nothing if you don't have time to chant you're incantations! Take this!" he finished with a kick, sending the boy flying. "I've won! It's time to finish this!" he yelled, preparing a chi enhanced punch, causing his fist to glow.

The more he watched, the angrier Naruto became, the only reason he didn't interfere was because, despite the brutality, from what Naruto had seen, the black haired boy was right and this was a useful lesson for Negi. It was good to understand your weaknesses, that made it easier to overcome them, and pain had always been a good teacher in Naruto's experience.

But when he went in for the final blow, Naruto snapped and focused his killing intent on the boy, always a useful trick, even if he didn't actually mean to kill him. He froze, just for a fraction of a second when felt it, but to his credit, he carried on with his attack. Unfortunately, that half second was all Negi needed, and he managed to imbue himself in magic, and deflect the strike.

His opponent open, Negi stuck, knocking him into the air. As he fell, Negi chanted, _"Ras Tel Ma Scir Magister Unus Fulgor Concidens Noctem, In Mea Manu Ens Inimicum Edat. FULGURATIO ALBICANS." _The kid fell onto Negi's outstretched palm, and was immediately hit by the blast at point blank range. Naruto could see the white light as it engulfed his body and caused him to arch his back in pain.

It looked like it was over, causing Negi to boast "How was that? The power of western mages!"

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, he really did think he was going to have to interfere this time, but then again, looking back on his own battles, he always did win by the skin of his teeth, and it seemed Negi was the same.

"Hold it!" the black haired kid's voice shouted, interrupting the celebrating. "This is the first time a normal human has hurt me to this extent. I'll take back what I said, Negi Springfield, but, it's not over yet!" That said, he transformed, his hair grew in length and turned white, his arms become like an animals, hairy and clawed, as did his legs. His eyes become slitted, his ears grew, and he even grew a tail.

The feeling the boy gave off increased exponentially, Naruto finally understood. It was demonic energy. Vastly different from the Kyuubi's but still the same.

"This time for real!" he shouted. "And you," he continued, pointing straight at Naruto's hiding place, "you're next!"

'_Shit, I've been spotted!'_ With that Naruto moved, but the man-beast's finger just continued to follow him.

"What! Who's he talking too?"

"There's no point in hiding. In this form my ears are so good I can hear you breathing, you may as well come out right now."

"Fine, I'll face you, but only if you beat Negi, and you can't kill him," Naruto quietly said, confident that if the demonic boy was telling the truth, he could hear him.

"Alright, fine! Let's go Negi, once I beat you, I'll have another strong opponent." That said, he lunged at Negi, but the young mage managed to dodge.

"Looks like I've got no choice." He said.

"Aniki, don't be reckless, we should retreat."

Heedless, Negi started to chant _"Sim ipse pars per decem secundas Negius Springfieldes."_

Once he was done, the wolf-boy made another lunge, one which Naruto could keep track of, but from the look of surprise on Negi's face, the child mage couldn't.

"To your left sensei!" a voice suddenly shouted, and Negi found himself dodging to the right, avoiding the blow just in time. Looking for the source of the voice, Naruto found Nodoka, who was holding an open book in her hands.

Surprised, Asuna asked the question on everyone's lips, "Honya-chan, what are you doing here?"

"Ah, that's because this book-AH!" she cut herself off, before shouting "To your right! From above! A spinning kick from behind on the right!" She was perfectly predicting the demon-boy's movements and warning Negi, allowing him to counter attack perfectly.

Naruto was amazed, and couldn't help but wonder how she was doing it. She seemed like a normal person, but this was truly incredible.

Seeing the damage Negi had sustained, Chamo called for a retreat. Nodoka agreed, surprising Chamo.

"Excuse me, Kotaro-kun, but how do we get out of here?"

"Wh…What did you just say? Are you some kind of idiot Onee-chan? There's no way I would tell you something like that"

Unfortunately for him, the book knows all. "We can get out if we destroy the hidden marks on the top, left and right of the sixth gate from here!" she told them, surprising everybody, Naruto included.

Negi immediately sprung into action, jumping onto his staff and sending a destructive spell at the three spots Nodoka had indicated, while Kotaro chased after them. He picked Nodoka up in his arms as he flew, and sped to the gate, Asuna running alongside, and Kotaro running to catch up. Naruto was also running alongside, but was careful to say hidden from view.

The gate glowed white as they raced towards it, and with a slash of Asuna's paper fan, they were free.

"We did it! We got out!" they celebrated, before Negi brought them back down to Earth. "But he's still coming after us."

"Leave him to me," the small voice of a mini-Setsuna said, something that Naruto hadn't noticed before.

'_That was probably how she was keeping track of them.'_ He reasoned.

"I'll close the barrier and seal him inside by inverting the time-space spell!" she told them, while doing hand signs.

'_That doesn't sound good,'_ Naruto thought. _'Better get out of here, fast!'_ With that, he summoned a clone, which he used to throw him, increasing his speed. He had had to aim for the gate, which meant that when he passed through, he would be instantly spotted by Negi and Asuna. _'Oh well, no helping it. I don't know if the same trick to leave would work twice, and I can't risk being stuck in here until he get's rescued.'_

He was already close to the, but even so he only just managed to escape, performing a rolling land that left him in front of a very surprised group.

"Erm, hey."

* * *

Inside the resealed barrier, Kotaro fell, exhausted from his fight, and slowly began to transform into his more human appearance. _'Negi, you're not bad for a western mage, but'_ "Next time, I won't lose!"

"Oh, so you think there will be a next time, do you?"

Lying on his back, he turned his attention to the person standing over him. Unfortunately, from this angle the sun was in his eyes, and he couldn't see the man's face. "You, you're the guy that distracted me when I was fighting Negi. What do you want?" he asked harshly.

"Tell me, what's that group of yours planning?"

"Sorry, but I don't know anything. I'm a fighter for hire, we aren't told the fine details. All I was told was that, if I took this job I'd get to fight western mages." He smirked.

"So I take it you don't know why they want Konoka then?"

"Who?"

"Okay, fine, moving on, I'm guessing you were told to face Negi here. Any reason for that, and the fact that only one of you is here when I know there are at least 4 of you in your group?"

"Nope, sorry, I was just told to trap him here and beat him if I could."

"Alright, one last thing then. I want you to tell me all about your fight with Negi, his strengths and weaknesses, all of it."

"Why?"

"Let's just say, I'm curious about what he is capable of, and the opinion of someone who has pushed him to his limits is so much better than just watching him."

"Okay, I'll tell you, but first you have to tell me your name."

"Why do you want to know that?"

"I can tell you're stung nii-san, and I'm always looking for strong opponents to fight."

"Uzumaki Naruto, and who knows, one day I might fight you, but no promises. Now, tell me what I want to know."

And Kotaro did, he even seemed to enjoy reliving the experience a bit, even the bits from when he was losing. He only sounded annoyed when he talked about Nodoka interfering, but that was it.

Once he was done, Naruto smiled and thanked the boy, disappearing in a poof of smoke.

* * *

"So you're saying that, seeing Honya-chan here," Asuna said, indicating said girl, "was alone, you decided to follow her, and found yourself trapped in that repeating loop with us?" They were now free of the spell, and were resting on a large rock nearby.

"Yep, and when I heard you say you were going to trap that boy in there, I had to make a run for it. I didn't want to risk getting trapped with him."

"Like hell I'll believe that!" Asuna yelled. "I can picture Honya-chan following us, but not you following her! What do you think Negi, Chamo?"

"Er, I'm not sure what to think, but I trust Naruot-nii-san." Negi told her.

"I'm still not convinced, but if Aniki says so, I'll trust him." The ermine said, and took note of Naruto's lack of surprise at him talking, even if the others didn't.

"I trust Naruto-sensei as well," the mini-Setsuna added.

Outvoted, Asuna let the matter drop.

"N-Negi-sensei, what was all that about?" Nodoka asked.

"Ah, well i-i-it's erm, well, ahh" giving a sigh, Negi just decided to tell the truth, and so explained it to them, all about him being a mage, and his mission here in Kyoto.

Both took the news well, which was rather surprising, but Nodoka explained herself, telling him "I had a vague feeling anyway, but to think, that Negi-sensei is a mage. I thought that only such people existed in books, it's actually rather exciting."

Seeing the look directed his way, which just screamed, 'Why aren't you surprised?' Naruto said, "I heard Setsuna call you a mage when we were in the bath, and once I heard that and saw some of the stuff you did then, I thought something was up. Plus, I've always been easy going and accepting of this sort of thing."

Giving him one last look, it seemed Asuna was still suspicious; she turned to speak to Negi, while Chamo came forward to talk to Nodoka about her artefact.

Naruto listened in, but no comment was made on what it was exactly, so Naruto decided to ask Chamo, while Asuna and Nodoka treated Negi's wounds.

"So, what is that thing?"

"It's a Pactio Artefact, a powerful item given to those who perform Pactio contracts."

"What's a Pactio?"

"It's a magical contract; it connects two people, allowing the Magi to empower his or her servant, or guardian. The Minister or Ministra Magi gets a powerful item. It depends on the person what type of item, and what its abilities are. For example, Ane-san's seems to be really effective on summons, while nee-sans seems to be able to read minds."

"What, seriously? How do you make a contract, anyway?"

"A kiss," he told him, destroying Naruto's idea of forming a contact with Negi.

"What, isn't the-"

"Ah!?" Mini-Setsuna exclaimed. She had been talking to Negi about their next move when she suddenly started to disappear.

"What's happening?" Asuna asked.

"I-I can't go with you. There is something happening to the real Setsuna, I'm being disconnected," she gasped, before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

"That can't be good, something must have happened on Setsuna-nee-sans side." Chamo informed them.

They recovered from their surprise quickly, and Negi soon came up with the idea of using the same charm based spell Setsuna had been using to check up on her. This instantly put Naruto on edge; that meant there was a good chance Negi would find his clone.

So it was with some relief that Chamo volunteered to go as well, riding on the mini-Negi's back.

While Negi tried to figure out the spell, Naruto discreetly called the ermine over. He approached with caution, but still managed to get close enough for Naruto to talk to him in relative privacy.

"Okay, I want you to keep your voice down while I tell you this; I don't want Negi to know." When Chamo nodded, he continued, "Alright, the truth is I lied before, I'm actually working for the headmaster, and already knew Negi was a mage."

Chamo looked like he was going to speak, but Naruto was quick enough to stop him until he had processed the whole statement. "I'll explain it all later, but the thing is, the headmaster asked me to hide my knowledge and abilities unless necessary, but, the thing is, I have a clone there already. I want your help; so that he doesn't notice it's there. Please?" he pleaded.

The ermine relented, and soon he was off, flying on the back of mini-Negi as it flew through the air, the real Negi deep in a trance as he concentrated.

* * *

The Naruto clone was fun hanging out with the remnants of group 5, just generally talking about whatever came to mind. He took this opportunity to get to know them all better.

"So, sensei, what's your favourite book?" Yue asked.

"Oh, Tale of a Gutsy Ninja," he answered without thinking.

"Oh, I've never heard of it, is it good?" Konoka asked.

"Er, yeah."

"What kind of things do you usually read?"

"I don't read much, to be honest. The only reason I read Tales is because I knew the author."

"I see," she replied evenly. "What do you do for fun, then?"

"I-" _'I what?'_ he thought. _'Growing up, I didn't really have any friends, so I just trained and pranked, but was it really fun? When I was older, I just didn't have time.'_ "-train, and hang-out with friends. I used to do some gardening as well, but I've been to busy recently. Oh, and pranks, I used to love them as a kid, but I didn't have time when I was older. I've got back into it a little now." He settled for. After all, it was closest to the truth he had.

They seemed to accept this answer, and continued talking about some of their favourite stories. Konoka's was some romance novel about a couple overcoming social prejudices' to be together ; Yue's was a fantasy book to do with wizards and Haruna's was a some manga filled to the brim with love triangles, fanservice and forbidden love. Naruto couldn't recall, but he thought he heard the word Yaoi and Yuri more than once, whatever they meant.

"What about you Set-chan, what's your favourite story?" Konoka asked as she turned around with a smile.

Said girl, who was slightly behind the group, looked startled at the sudden question. "I don't usually read books, and focus on my training," she responded, somewhat hesitantly.

"That's too bad," Konoka stated, and soon moved on to another topic. Naruto couldn't help but notice the frown on her face though, but he couldn't tell the reason for it.

Sometime later, they'd stopped inside a small arcade so the Yue could use the facilities, Naruto and Setsuna waiting together, slightly apart from the others.

"Anything happening on their end?" he asked.

"Yes," she softly stated, "the enemy has just arrived." Naruto nodded his head in acknowledgment, while Setsuna began spacing out, probably to observe the battle easier.

Then Konoka came to collect the two, and while Naruto responded immediately, Setsuna wasn't quite as fast.

"Set-chan. Set-chan! SET-CHAN!" she finally shouted.

"Whaa!" she panicked, quickly backpedalling, to Naruto's clear amusement. Konoka would have none of it though, and quickly grabbed Setsuna's hand, leading her back outside. Chuckling, Naruto followed.

* * *

It happened suddenly, one minute they were happily chatting as they walked to their next destination, the next, there were metal spikes the size of pencils being thrown at them. Setsuna was lucky she was as close to Konoka as she was, still holding her hand, even. It turns out that once Konoka had gotten a hold of the samurai, she hadn't wanted to let go. She caught all 5 projectiles before they were even noticed by the other girls, and immediately began to run in an attempt to escape. Still unaware of the situation the library girls started running as well.

Naruto stayed behind and tried to spot the attacker, but when that failed, he quickly caught up to the sprinting girls. Now that both of them were alert, they watched the surroundings for any movement, intent on protecting their charges.

By the time they stopped to block another barrage, the three members of the library club were out of breath, and questioning why the hell they had to start running around so suddenly. Thankfully, Setsuna didn't have to think of an excuse, as Haruna provided her with one.

"Huh, isn't this cinema village? If you wanted to come her, you could have just said so!"

'Naruto-sensei may be able to help, but I can't let these two get caught up in this mess.' Setsuna thought, glancing at Yue and Haruna. "Sorry, but I want to be alone with Konoka…-san. Let's split up here," she told them, before scooping her up into her arms, and jumping over a roof and into the village.

"What was all that about?" Yue wondered.

"This could be interesting, two girls alone together. Could it be…?" Haruna commented, picturing in her head Setsuna, pushing Konoka up against a wall in a deserted alley, Konoka weakly protesting, but Setsuna wasn't listening, and she was bringing her face closer and closer to the pinned girl, her hand trailing up a thigh and under the skirt, Konoka gave a weak moa-, well, you get the picture.

'_What are you thinking?' _Naruto wondered, curious_. 'Oh well, I should go do my job and help.'_ "I think Setsuna is right, I'm going to have a look around myself," he told them, jumping on the roof and into the village himself.

"Seriously, how did they do that?" Yue asked.

* * *

As Naruto began his search for the two girls, he was soon asked if he wanted to change into something more themed for the village. "Yeah, why not?" he grinned.

The kind woman showed him to a rack of different outfits before asking, "Do you have any preferences?"

"Got any ninja outfits?" he asked as he examined some of the pieces in front of him.

"An excellent choice, we have just the thing," she told him as she lead him along the rack.

Soon he could see the outfits she was referring to, and he asked, "Got any in orange?"

Scoffing, she said, "What kind of ninja wears orange?" like it was the most ridiculous thing in the world.

Eyebrow twitching, he let it slide, just this once, and began looking through the outfits in front of him. With no orange and an aversion to most of the dark colours there, he settled on a dark red outfit.

Slipping it on, he found it all strangely pleasant. The feel of the tight mesh against his skin, and the sandals on his feet was rather nostalgic, which was worrying in itself, because it couldn't have been more than a week since he had last worn his ninja clothes. Were they really that much apart of him that he already missed them?

Stepping out into the open air again, he suddenly remembered why he was here in the first place, and redoubled his efforts in finding Konoka and Setsuna.

Eventually he found them talking to the swordswoman that Setsuna had faced on the first night of the trip, while several other students watched from afar.

"It's troublesome, but I'll make you play along," she said sweetly. "You can't escape, Setsuna-sempai." She finished, and that previously sweet tone now had an edge to it that sent a chill down Naruto's spine. Leaving on the carriage, she called back "See you later! I won't mind if you call for help."

The girls immediately rushed towards Setsuna and start to bombard her with questions. "Why didn't you tell us about something as important as this? How long have you been going out? Who was that girl, a past girlfriend?" The barrage just served to confuse Setsuna, who didn't know what they were talking about.

She wasn't the only one though. From the looks of things, Ayaka was as lost as Naruto himself was, though that voice which sounded like Jiraiya was back, giggling perversely in the back of his head. And was that scribbling her heard? Weird.

"Are we agreed everyone?" Haruna asked. Seeing the general agreement of those before her, she put her hand high up in the air and declared, "We're going to support their love with all our might!"

"Wait, you've got it all wrong everyone!" she tried to dissuade them, but they just thought she was shy, and they continued to question her.

Getting tired of this confusing talk, he asked, "Need any help Setsuna?" causing all the girls around him to jump back in shock.

"H-How long have you been there!?" Asakura asked.

"Since that woman left in the carriage. Why, didn't you notice me?"

"No! Is that a ninja outfit?" Haruna answered and asked.

"Yeah, what do you think?"

"Suits you," she commented. "Hehehe, this is all giving me ideas," she grinned.

"So, Setsuna, do you want my help?" he asked again.

"It would be much appreciated, Naruto-sensei."

* * *

They were all heading to the bridge, Setsuna having filled him in on all the details, when he noticed it. It looked like a small blob from this distance, but he could tell it wasn't natural. This was only confirmed when it started to float towards the small group. It was a mini-Negi, and it had floated straight towards Setsuna.

Just as soon as Negi arrived and asked about the situation, they arrived at the bridge, and the swordswoman waiting for them there.

"Hehehe, thanks for bringing your friends. It looks like this'll be interesting," she said. "Well, shall we get started, sempai? Konoka-sama and Setsuna-sempai, I'm going to make the both of you mine. Heehee," she continued to giggle.

"Set-chan, she scares me. Please, be careful."

"Don't worry, Konoka-ojou-sama, no matter what, I'll protect you." She told her, bringing a smile to Naruto's lips. With those words, all his worries went away.

He wasn't the only one it had pleased though, and the gathered crowd began to clap, while the girls of 3-A promised to help, worrying Setsuna and Naruto.

While all this was happening, Chamo had decided to do what the real Naruto had asked of him. He'd seen the clone when they were approaching from above but had managed to distract Negi from him. Climbing the blond's leg, he felt Naruto start to react, before realizing just who it was. Playing dumb, he said to the ermine, "What are you doing here; I thought you were with Negi?"

"Don't even try," the ermine roughly began. "The real you already knows all about us, he told me so. I'm here too tell you that Negi already knows you're their, so if he spots you here, he'll know something's up."

"Thanks."

"Don't bother, just tell me what this all about later, okay?"

"Deal," he grinned, and the ermine crawled down his leg and back to mini-Negi without comment.

"You said your name was Tsukuyomi, right? These girls-" Setsuna started, but was cut off.

"Yes, sempai, I know. These cut little puppets will be their opponents," she said, spreading a number of charms into the air, each one transforming into a weak monster which attacked the girls, but didn't seem to be doing any harm to them, just embarrassing them.

Setsuna gave him a glance, and he signalled that he couldn't do anything with Negi there, so with a frown and a hand sign, mini-Negi had transformed into a normal sized Negi, surprising Konoka. "Negi-sensei, I want you to run away and take Konoka-san to a safe place, and be careful!" she told the young red head.

Catching her eye, Naruto indicated that he was going to follow Negi. Giving a nod in acknowledgement, she began her attack, furiously exchanging lows with Tsukuyomi.

Naruto watched as Negi entered a building, Konoka in tow, and moved to follow them. When he got to the door though, he found it blocked. It was a boy, looking no older than Negi; he had white hair and dark eyes and seemed rather disinterested about Naruto's presence, but was still blocking the path.

When Naruto made a move to pass him, the boy got in the way. Neither said anything for a few seconds, until, "Are you here to help him?" the boy asked.

"Yes, if I'm needed. Since you know, I suppose you are my enemy then."

"I suppose," he agreed. It didn't seem like he cared at all. When he saw Naruto take fighting stance, he said, "You're nothing but a shadow of that guy, aren't you? I don't see the point in fighting you."

Surprised that he knew it was a clone, Naruto got ready to attack, and threw a punch at the boys head, but he easily ducked under the blow, throwing back a lazy counter-attack that Naruto had to desperately avoid so that he wouldn't pop. This kid was quick, that was for sure, and what was worse was that he didn't even appear to be trying.

Naruto knew he had to be careful, even one blow could potentially destroy him, meaning he had to carefully analyse his opponent.

This time, the kid was the first to make a move, attempting a hit on his sternum, but Naruto deflected it with his left, and counterattacked with his right. The blow was easily caught though, and this time it was the kids turn to attack, attempting a spinning kick, which Naruto ducked. Jumping away again, Naruto decided that using charka would probably be the best move right now, and attacked again.

Feeling the warm energy flow through his body felt incredible and the speeds it quickly took him to were amazing. He savoured the small widening of the kid's eyes as he closed in, but the blow was easily stopped. This kid was easily keeping up with him, making it near impossible to land a blow, but at least he was to busy blocking and dodging to retaliate, until with a burst of speed he struck.

Naruto barely managed to dodge in time. This kid was good, and a clone made when he had less than half his strength didn't stand a chance.

"I see you understand then," the boy calmly stated. "A simple shadow is useless against me."

Naruto glared at him, but didn't make a move. "What's your name?"

"You can call me Fate. I would ask for yours, but I don't care." He told him.

Naruto was about to respond when he heard a bystander shout, "Look, on top of the castle."

"They've got a show going on up there?"

A quick glance upward and he understood what was happening; Negi was trapped on the roof by the charm user.

He could just hear what was said over the background noise, and he didn't like it one bit. "If you take a single step, I'll have him shoot you. Now, hand over Ojou-sama!"

"It seems we've succeeded," the boy stated, when a blast of wind made Konoka lose her balance, forcing Negi to steady her. With that single step, the demonic archer fired. He could see it as it streaked through the air, through Negi's outstretched arm in an effort to protect Konoka, who was right behind him. He even glimpsed Setsuna as she raced to protect her Ojou-sama. He could even tell that she intended to take the strike herself, willing to give her life up for the one who was precious to her. Naruto could respect that, but he wasn't going to let it stand. Both girls were his responsibility, and he wasn't going to let either get hurt.

That's when Naruto _moved_ and caught the speeding arrow, stopping it in its tracks, stinging his palm. He wasn't worried about popping from that though; damage to the hands was least likely the force a clone to pop. The tip had of the arrow head had only just pierced Setsuna's costume though, and even that little bit of momentum caused her to lose her balance and fall, Konoka jumping after.

He wasn't worried, that level of injury wouldn't do enough damage that Setsuna couldn't protect her charge. He was slightly surprised about the whitish glow, but he had other things to worry about. He turned to face the demon and woman who were behind him, and upon seeing his face the demon let out a noise of simple pure primal terror, and promptly unsummoned itself.

The woman was a different story though, when she looked upon his face, she focused on his eyes, a dazzling blue, with a pupils like slits. She was frozen by the fear and beauty they inspired in her.

"You will not touch my student!" he said, voice carrying over the entire area, and he snapped the arrow between his fingers, the noise echoing over the sudden silence.

Chigusa didn't even notice when Fate landed beside her, and suggested a withdrawal. When she didn't reply, he began to gently drag her away, hoping it would wake her up. It didn't. She only awoke when those eyes were suddenly in front of her, making her scream. Fate was immediately between them, and quickly impaled the blond on a stone spear he had formed in his hands.

That didn't deter the boy though, and he brought his arm up and slashed. Fate didn't move, he didn't need to; the hand would miss, if only by mere millimetres.

With a flash of pain though, he clutched his right cheek, where he felt three small wet spots. Looking at his hands, he saw blood. The blond had actually scratched him, leaving three small scratches that wouldn't even scar.

When he looked back up at the spear though, ready to make sure this cretin's death was long and painful, he found no one there, only the dark red outfit he was wearing, a hole where the spear had impaled it. It didn't even have any blood on it.

He tightened his hold on the stone, crushing it, before leaving with the traumatised Chigusa. _'I'll remember this,_' he thought.

* * *

Naruto was drinking the tea when his clone's memories hit him, causing him to frown. There was no way Negi couldn't have noticed him, they had only been a couple of feet apart when he saved Setsuna from the demon's arrow.

That didn't matter now though, what mattered was that Fate guy. He was incredibly strong, and that was only in tai-jutsu. Naruto wouldn't be able to face him one on one without being at full strength. Plus, he hadn't even used any magic, except possibly at the end. If it had been, that meant he probably specialized in rock magic, Naruto reasoned. Which brought up the question, did affinities work the same way for both chakra and magic. He knew Negi could use both wind and lightning spells, but that didn't really tell him anything. Frustrated, Naruto drained his cup, just as Negi began to awaken.

The boy looked him in the eye, and said, "Explain," a simple order, nothing more and nothing less.

Naruto complied, telling them that he was a ninja, and he'd been asked to look after Negi and his students, but only to interfere if they were in mortal danger. "I've been keeping an eye on you: I watched you, Asuna and Setsuna rescue Konoka on the first night, precautions in check if you failed. I saw at least some of your fight against Kotaro, and would have stepped in if I felt the need. I fact, I almost did. But when I saw that arrow, I realised that I had no other choice, so I stepped in."

"Why couldn't you have just delivered the letter yourself, instead of forcing us to go through all this crap!?" Asuna asked.

"From what I understand, this is just as much a test as it is a mission. I wouldn't call this a failure, but you're cutting it pretty close."

"You're grading him?" Nodoka asked, incredulous.

"Yeah, actually, I am. I have to fill in a report about how well you did. That's gonna be fun," he said, voice dripping in sarcasm.

"Hey, Negi-kun, Asuna!" the voice of Konoka called.

When they looked though, it was more than just Setsuna and Konoka, Yue, Haruna and Asakura were there too.

"What the…? Why's everyone else here?"

"Doesn't matter, let's just go." Naruto muttered back.

Negi, who couldn't walk at the moment, was carried by Naruto as they walked along and Setsuna explained to them how they had been followed.

Soon they arrived, and the four members of the library club rushed forward. Negi tried to tell them it was dangerous, but they ignored him. He needn't have bothered all they found on the other side was a warm greeting for Konoka. "Welcome home, Konoka-ojou-sama."

Setsuna then explained that this was Konoka's home, and that she thought it might be dangerous to return here, but cinema village had forced her to change her mind.

They were invited a large hall, and Naruto immediately sprawled out on one of the mats. He got a few disapproving looks, but did nothing to straighten himself up.

A couple minutes later, a man came down the stairs in front of them. "Sorry for the wait," he apologized. "Welcome, Asuna-kun, and each of Konoka's classmates, and of course Negi-sensei too."

"Otou-sama, it's been so long!" Konoka said as she jumped into her father's arms.

"So, Konoka-san's father is the western leader," Negi said, quite dazed.

"Um, Leader-san, this is for you," Negi held out he letter before him, "from the East's leader, Mahora Academy President, Konoe Konoemon, to the western leader, please accept this letter."

"Certainly, I've received it Negi-kun. It seems you have had a difficult time," he noted.

He looked the letter over for a few seconds, before nodding his head. "In appreciation of the Eastern Leader's will, we too will negotiate to end the discord between East and West. Please tell him that. Your mission is complete, Negi Springfield-kun."

"Yes!" he cheered, smiling. The student's followed his lead, and began congratulating him on his success.

"Since it's so late, you can all stay here tonight. We will prepare a banquet for you."

That perked Naruto back up, just the thought of food making him drool. That seemed to make Eishun take note of him.

"Ah, who might you be?"

"I'm just a teacher that was asked to help Negi on the trip."

"I see." he said, before speaking to Negi again.

Soon after, the feast started, in which Naruto stuffed himself, pretty much completely ignoring everything around him.

* * *

Authors notes:

Before I begin, I would like to ask if there are any decent fanfics which detail Nagi's adventure through the magic world. If there are, please tell me.

Okay, so while writing this chapter, I decided I really wanted to hear Kotaro's voice, so I found and watched one of the OVAs, and thought of the best Naruto in Negima pair ever. NarutoxNekane Springfield. I don't think I'd use it in this story, except maybe for a little fun, but for some reason, I love the idea of it. That's Negi's cousin, who he calls Onee-chan, by the way.

Finally, I'd like to… I wouldn't call it challenge, but I'd like to see a fic that has Minato or Naruto with Nagi in his adventures in the magic world. I've seen the idea that Minato travelled with Nagi in some other fics, but I would really like to see it.

Okay, first, before you even think it, the demon didn't flee because Naruto was a Jinchuuriki. Got that? Good.

I hope I captured Fate well, aloof and slightly arrogant. Yes, I did mean Wouldn't scar Fate.

Also, longest chapter yet, which is a surprise.

Magic:

_Unus Fulgor Concidens Noctem, In Mea Manu Ens Inimicum Edat. FULGURATIO ALBICANS,_ which equals 'A stream of light to cut through the darkness! Spring forth from my hand an throttle my enemy! White Lightning!'

_Sim ipse pars per decem secundas Negius Springfieldes.:_ Activate contract for 10 seconds, Negi Springfield.


	12. Kyoto Trip: Demon God

It was night now, and Naruto was getting ready to have a bath with Negi and Eishun. They were just getting undressed when he noticed the scars on Eishun's body. "How did you get them?" he asked while indicating the pale tissue.

"I practice with a sword," he answered somewhat stiffly.

Seeing that he obviously wasn't comfortable with the topic, Naruto let the matter drop.

Entering the bath house proper, the older man took a quick glance at Naruto, before telling Negi, "I wanted to thank you for taking care of Konoka during your time at Mahora, and especially during this trip."

Naruto caught the glance, and the way he seemed to think over his words, and thought, _'Ah, he doesn't know I know about magic.'_ "Hey Negi, some of those spells you used were amazing." He said, causing Negi to preen under the praise. "There were at least a couple of wind based spells you used, are they your speciality?"

"Yes, I've always been better with the wind and lightning spells."

"Oh, I wasn't aware you knew about magic. My father-in-law usually informs me if any of his mages come to Kyoto."

"I'm not mage, I'm a ninja."

"Oh, which clan are you from?"

"Clan?" he asked.

"Which ninja family taught you? Ninja's are a rare breed nowadays; I'd heard that the practice was going into recline."

"I don't really know about any of that. I only just got released."

"Released?" Negi asked.

"Yeah, I was sealed under the World Tree. Apparently it was planted as my grave."

"But, the World Tree is thousands of years old!"

"I know that Negi. I have been sealed with no sense of time for at least 3500 years, longer even. That's why I don't know about what happened to my home, but still know I can't go back there."

"Why were you sealed?" Eishun asked.

"There was this man, his name was Uchiha Madara and he wanted something only I had. To get it, he needed to capture me alive, and I guess he thought the best method would be to seal me in the ground somewhere and come back for me later. What I want to know is why he never did."

"I don't understand," Negi told him.

"You see…

**Flashback**

Amidst the large green trees and sitting in a sun filled clearing, sat Uzumaki Naruto. He had just finished a lunch of freshly caught fish and rabbit, and was just about to continue on his journey. He was on his way to Iwagakure, the village Hidden in the Rocks, as part of his travels. He was going there as a messenger and as a representative of Konoha. Technically it was dangerous for him to be on his own and in the wilderness, but with the constant threat of Bjuu attacking any village he stayed in to long, and Naruto's personal belief that if Madara did find him any escort lower than Jounin level would be useless. It was just his luck that they were all busy with much more important things.

So Naruto found himself wondering from country to country alone, always moving lest he stay somewhere too long and that masked lunatic found him. It was his own choice of course, causing Sakura to jokingly call it his 'self-induced exile'. It was a private joke, and not a very good one at that, but it was said partly as a way to lighten the mood his leaving had caused.

"There you are," came a deep voice from the shadows, one that Naruto instantly recognised.

"Madara!" he hissed, taking a defensive stance as he began collecting Sage Chakra.

From in front of him stepped out a masked man wearing a black cloak with red clouds, the uniform for Akatsuki members. His mask was an orange swirl pattern leading to the single eye hole on his right side.

As soon as he was in sight, Naruto lunged for the man, a Rasengan already forming. It slipped right through his torso like he wasn't even there, but that was what Naruto was aiming for. He broke for the forest, hoping to take the fight there.

He'd been told what to expect and how to fight Madara if there was no other choice. Either hit him by surprise, or by counter attacking, though he should always try to escape if he could. Right now, Naruto was going for the former.

Once sufficiently hidden, Naruto began to hide his chakra, something he was never more than passable at. He set himself to waiting. Through his Nature chakra he could sense when Madara approached, it was just a matter of time.

Unfortunately, he was better than Naruto gave him credit for, and leaped right through the tree branch that Naruto had been standing on. Jumping back, Naruto threw a kick at the leaping figure, but no damage was done.

With the surprise attack plan a complete failure, he decided that a clear space would be for the best. Going from tree to tree, Naruto searched for another clearing, chased by the masked form.

Sometimes he would be behind Naruto, forcing him onward, sometimes to the left, forcing Naruto to veer to the right.

Eventually, Naruto found a large clearing where he could fight Madara. Creating three clones, they scattered in different directions.

Madara appeared in front of him again, this time he just seemed to swirl into existence, and Naruto could feel his sudden disappearance in one place, and his reappearance in another.

Madara gave a cold chuckle, and that's the last thing Naruto saw before everything went black.

**Flashback End**

"That's the last thing I remember before waking up in Mahora. He had me, but in the end just left me there. I want to know why."

"Who knows, maybe one day, you'll find out." Eishun said in an attempt to sooth him.

"Hopefully."

Conversation ended there, at least for a few minutes, while Naruto pondered, Negi contemplated, and Eishun collected his thoughts. Eishun was finally the one to break the silence as he began explaining the reason behind the recent attacks, and why Konoka was being targeted.

He told them how Konoka, as a member of a high-class magical bloodline, she had access to an amazing amount of magical power. He told them how Konoka was sent to Mahora to keep her away from those who wished to misuse her powers.

Naruto could agree with that, but was slightly annoyed when he heard that her magical potential and family history was kept from her. He was slightly similar, his status as a Jinchuuriki a secret from himself, and all knowledge of his family kept from him until he confronted them about it. He decided not to say anything, though he might have to start dropping hints that there was something up.

The conversation then went into another direction, with Negi asking about The Thousand Master, Negi's father apparently. Eishun revealed that he was his inseparable friend, and Naruto made a mental note about how surprised Negi was at this revelation.

And then Naruto heard the voices. The distinctly _feminine_ voices that were coming from just outside the bath.

Naruto panicked, this must have been the third time girls had interrupted his bath, and while he had managed to successful avoid a beating the last two times, his luck was running lower then Tsunade's.

All three males in the room went to hide, Naruto moving significantly faster than the other two. If he wasn't so panicked himself, Negi would have wondered about the look of utmost fright on Naruto's face, considering he had earlier seen that face sent a demon screaming in terror.

So it was with his superior speed Naruto managed to hide behind a large rock, or at least he would have if not for running straight into Setsuna. Negi followed not a moment later, crashing into Asuna. Her being larger than Negi, he didn't have quite the impact and only knocked her over. That would have been that, except he used her breast to catch himself. Naruto, who was much larger than both Negi and Setsuna, knocked the poor girl over completely. Luckily she had excellent reflexes, and managed to stop him from completely smothering her by catching him palms upward against his chest.

It was this sight the girls walked into, Negi on top of Asuna groping her, and a completely nude Naruto straddling an equally naked Setsuna as she caressed his chest, while Eishun watched.

The reaction was largely negative, but two comments stuck out over all. Konoka's utter outrage "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING TO SET-CHAN!" and the much quieter one of Haruna, who was again cradling a bloody nose. "Shotacon orgy…"

As soon as he regained his wits, Naruto jumped away, and waited for the beating. He was slightly surprised when it never came, and all the girls were looking at him oddly as he was crouched down protectively.

"What's with you?" Haruna finally asked from around her mouth, she was still trying to stop the flow of blood, and looking at Naruto well defined chest wasn't helping.

"Aren't you going to beat me?" he asked, in a voice so soft and meek at least three girls wanted to hug him on the spot.

"No," Asuna explained, "Why would we do that, it was an accident?"

"B-but every other time something like this has happened, me or Ero-sennin always got a beating for it." he protested.

"Ero-sennin?" Shaking her head, Asuna continued, "Never mind that now, look, we aren't going to beat you, just get OUT!" Naruto wisely followed her instructions, noticing for the fist time that Negi and the old man were already gone.

* * *

"Alright, so you've delivered the letter successfully, that's one plus. Konoka hasn't been kidnapped, but I had to interfere in that, so that's a minus point. Setsuna, Asakura and Nodoka-chan found out you were a mage, but I think I'll let you off Setsuna at least, considering she already knew about magic…" Naruto was saying to Negi as they walked down the corridors of the large temple complex.

"Naruto-nii-san, please!" Negi half whined, even while tears were coming out of his eyes, and Naruto decided to have pity on the poor kid.

"Don't worry, I think you did great," he assured him. "Though bribery nev-"

"KYAAA!" voices screamed, they were coming from the direction of the student's rooms. As one, both Naruto and Negi instantly twirled around and ran in its direction.

Slamming open the door, they found three statues, one of Nodoka, one of Haruna and one of Asakura.

"What is this?" Naruto asked, while Negi desperately tried to rouse the statues.

"Petrifaction magic," Chamo explained.

"You mean…"

"Yeah, these statues are alive," he clarified. "Aniki! Calm down."

"But they're…"

"Calm down, they're only petrified, the elder can cure them, you _know_ that."

"We were supposed to be safe here!"

"Looks like we were wrong," Naruto said. "Right now though, our first order of business should be to find our missing students.

"That's right, Asuna-san and the rest." Negi searched the immediate area for them, before taking out the card to communicate telepathically.

With Negi's sigh of relief, Naruto could tell he had found Asuna at least. A quick discussion later and Negi summoned his staff with a _Mea Virgra_!

"Where we headed?"

"We are meeting up with Asuna and Konoka in the bath from earlier. This could be dangerous, I don't think-"

"Negi, I've been risking my life since I was 12, and it is my job to protect you. Now, let's go!" and he was off, Negi keeping pace behind.

"Aniki, Naruto-nii, listen up. That petrifaction spell shows that that hey don't want to involve innocent bystanders!"

"Doesn't matter, they're trying to take Konoka again, we have to stop them." Naruto told him, Negi nodding in agreement.

Naruto could sense a presence just beyond the next corner, and signalled Negi to prepare himself. Then the assailant struck, Naruto quickly got behind her guard, while Negi blocked her sword strike with his staff. Then both teachers realized who it was, Setsuna.

"Setsuna-san, what are you doing here, I thought you were in the bath?"

"I felt a bad presence and rushed back here. What happened, is Ojou-sama okay?"

"She's with Asuna; we're heading to meet up with her now."

"Negi-kun, Naruto-kun, Setsuna-kun," the voice of the elder called as he came closer. His voice was forced and sounded full of pain.

"Leader-san!" Negi called, but when they looked upon him, they let out a gasp, most of his body from the waist down was stone, and they could hear it crack as he moved closer to them, causing them all to wince.

"I'm very sorry, it seems I over estimated the temple's protective barrier a little. Is it because of the extended peaceful times I wonder, for a former companion to the Thousand Master this is pitiful."

"Leader!"

"Be careful of the boy," he warned, "the one with white hair, he's an enemy on a complexly different level. If he was normal, both I and this temple's barrier would not have so easily been defeated." The stone was spreading, and was now up to his neck. "Contact the principal," he advised, before, "sorry, please, take care of Konoka," and with that the process was complete, he was nothing but a statue.

"He's right, that Fate guy is tough."

"You've fought him before?" Setsuna asked.

"Yeah, and we'll need to work together to win. Let's go!"

They were on the move again when Naruto said, "I would call the headmaster too. Reinforcements never hurt."

Negi took out his phone and made the call.

"_Speak."_

"Hello, Headmaster."

"_Oh, it's Negi-kun. Did you deliver the letter?"_

"Yes, but that's not important right now!"

"_No, no, that's a job well done."_

"It's not the problem right now! The Western Temple's been attacked, elder's been petrified too!"

"_What, the leader too! This is serious."_

"Which is why I need help."

"_Help, huh. I sent Naruto to help you if you need it, I'll contact him and se-"_

"I already know about Naruto-nii-san, even he says to get back up. He's right beside me now."

"Is he asking after me? Give me the phone. Hello, old man, this is Naruto."

"_Yes, I hear you."_

"Look, there's this guy, he's incredibly strong, and there's something I neglected to mention. My strength hasn't fully returned, and a little extra help would be greatly appreciated."

"_Well, with Takamichi over seas, I'm not sure there's anyon… I think I have the perfect candidate. I'll see what I can do."_ With that, the old man hung up.

"He's sending someone, I hope they're strong." Naruto said, giving a weak grin.

At the same time, another person was making a call for reinforcements. They were happy to help.

* * *

Arriving at the bath, they found a naked Asuna, who was twitching on the floor, mumbling, "Hands, everywhere."

The trio was understandably worried. "Asuna-san! What happened, are you alright?" Setsuna asked as she and Negi made their way towards the poor girl and cradled her in Setsuna's arms.

She was gasping as she spoke, "Setsuna-san, I already…"

"Don't tell me?!" Setsuna gasped.

"What, what did they do to Asuna-san."

"Perverted things," Setsuna responded, pale and shocked, causing Naruto to tighten the hold on his kunai.

"No, that didn't happen," she corrected with a smack. "Well, maybe a little," she whispered. "That's not the issue right now. I'm sorry, they got Konoka," she told them. "He may still be around," she warned.

The next moment, he _was_ there, appearing just behind Setsuna and Negi. She reacted immediately, but it wasn't quick enough. Parrying her attack, he sent her flying with a single palm thrust so strong that it left his hand smoking. She bounced once off the floor and once off the wall, landing heavily.

Then Naruto was there, engaging him hand-to-hand. Fate landed the first blow, but it only allowed him to gain some distance. Negi was already preparing an incantation "_Ras Tel Ma Scil Magister, __Unus Fulgor Concidens Noctem, in Mea Manu Ens Inimicum Edat! Fulguratio Albicans_." Fate just barely dodged the lightning that burst forth from Negi's palm and destroyed part of the wall, leaving him open to Naruto's second assault. He only managed to land one glancing blow before the white haired boy disengaged again, noticing Negi preparing another barrage.

Throwing a few kunai to distract, Negi sent a barrage of seven magical arrows of light. All of them were perfectly deflected or blocked.

In the stillness after that last exchange, Negi got his first proper look at the enemy, distinct white hair, cold eyes, and three small scratch marks on his cheek.

"Where did you take Konoka-san?" Negi asked. This was the boy the elder had warned him about, the one responsible for the attack on the temple., "Turning everyone to statues, hitting Setsuna-san, taking Konoka-san, even doing perverted things to Asuna-san. As their teacher and their friend, I'll never forgive you!"

"We'll never forgive you," Naruto added as he stood beside the young mage. Both faces were serious, eyes stubborn and strong.

"Then what will you do, Negi Springfield, defeat me? That shadow," he indicated Naruto, "may be stronger than I anticipated," this was said as he lightly touched the scratch marks, "but even together you're no match for me. It would be better to stop. It's impossible…" he finished as water from a nearby puddle swallowed him up. He was gone with a small plop.

"Using water to teleport, he's quite a high class mage." Chamo told the room at large.

Checking on Setsuna and Asuna's condition, Naruto was itching to go and track them down. Once he was sure, they were fine, he said, "I'm going to find them, you guys catch up when you're ready." And before they had a chance to stop him, he was gone.

"You wait here Asuna-san; I'm going to get Konoka-san back." Negi declared.

"We can both go, Negi-sensei. I can track their Chi," she told them, clutching her side.

"Are you alright? Let me see, I can heal minor injuries at least." And with a small white glow, he did just that.

"Thank you, but if we don't hurry Ojou-sama…"

"We can't just recklessly charge in, Leader was right, this guy's not normal. Even with Naruto-nii's help, we're going to need more." That's when he thought of a great idea, a Pactio with Setsuna. Unfortunately he was immediately rejected.

All three left soon after, chasing down the kidnappers.

* * *

"Good job newbie, though I have to wonder how you got past the magic barrier. That doesn't matter now though, we have Ojou-sama. All we have to do is take it to that place and-"

"Oh, what place is that?" Naruto's voice pierced that darkness, causing the glasses wearing woman to jump in fright.

"Where are you!?" she shouted, but her voice was shaky with fear, her skin even paler than normal.

On the other hand, Konoka was pleased with sound of his voice if the way she relaxed in the monkey summons arms was any indication.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he asked from behind her, causing to spin around. "Sorry, not quite." And now it came to her far right, but when she faced that direction, "Ah, now you're getting cold." It came from behind again.

Sufficiently freaked out, Chigusa began a ritual to summon a large number of demons using Konoka's large magical reserves. She was interrupted both Fate though. "Don't bother," he told her. "All but the most powerful or mindless demons will run as soon as they see him. I'll take care of him."

With seemingly a single step, Fate was gone. She immediately had another problem to deal with though, when Negi, Asuna and Setsuna turned up to stop her. This time she did summon demon army.

* * *

Chasing the whiskered blond through the trees was proving to be quite the annoyance to Fate; as the minutes past, he was getting further and further from where the summoning ritual was going to be taking place. Suddenly smirking, Fate thought, _'So this is your plan. It won't work.' _

Naruto jumped from tree to tree as he led the white haired boy on a not-so-merry chase, periodically making sure he was still following. He'd decided to have faith in Negi and the girls, the only real problem was Fate, and while he knew that at his current strength he couldn't win, he was strong enough to keep him sufficiently distracted.

Then said boy appeared in front of him, delivering an upper-cut that knocked him flat on his back. Looking down on him, Fate was silent and expressionless.

"Heh, not bad ya bastard." Naruto complimented as he got up and got into a rough fighting stance.

Fate said nothing, just continued to stare, waiting. He made the first move, appearing directly in front of Naruto, hitting him with a sharp palm thrust that sent him flying backwards.

Naruto recovered in mid air and managed to come to a skidding stop on his feet, but by the time he had re-oriented himself, Fate had landed another blow, this time to his face.

He only just managed to block the subsequent strikes, all the while backpedalling, then the attacks stopped and he was behind Naruto, muttering a spell under his breath, and with a single swing of his fist, large pillars of rock rapidly grew from the ground and pierced Naruto's heart.

The body immediately burst into smoke, and the real Naruto emerged, a weak Rasengan spinning in his palm as he rushed at Fate. Disappearing and again reappearing right behind the blond, Fate struck. Ready for it, Naruto caught the fist in his palm. The one with a Rasengan. With a splash of water, the arm dissolved with the rest of the body slowly following.

"Not bad," what Naruto now knew as a water clone, or its magical equivalent at least, commented. "I see this wasn't just a fluke," he said while fingering the three scratch marks on his cheek. "I'd play with you more, but I still have to satisfy my curiosity about the youngest Springfield. After all, he is one of the biggest reasons I took this mission, to test him. Till we meet again, shadow. Maybe then you'll be able to live up to the face you wear." With a final splash, the clone finally vanished.

'_Shit, he tricked me!_' Naruto thought. It was only after the fight had finished that Naruto noticed the large pillar of light that was towering over the area. _'That can't be good,'_ and with that he was off, headed in the direction of the light, where hopefully he would find Konoka and the others.

* * *

As Chigusa chanted the ritual, Fate silently arrived. The only reason she had managed to sense him at all was because she was on the lookout for an attack.

"Did you get rid of him?" she nervously asked. That blond boy had freaked her out, and nothing would make her happier than confirmation that she would never see him again. She didn't want him dead, but she didn't mind if he was seriously hurt.

"No, but he'll be dis-" with a start, Fate stopped, before frowning slightly. "He's far enough away that it'll take him awhile to arrive here, but we have other matter's to attend to first. Negi's coming."

"What, that brat!?" Turning towards the water of the lake, she could see him, a small speck that was rapidly incoming, spraying water twenty feet into the air behind him. "What a stubborn little punk"

"Continue the ritual," Fate told her, pulling out a paper tag and turning to face the oncoming Mage. "I'll take care of this."

* * *

Asuna and Setsuna were fighting; after Chigusa had summoned the army of demons at least 150 strong, Negi had immediately raised a barrier to give them time to plan. In the end they decided that Negi should go on ahead while they stayed behind to hold off the demons. Setsuna and Negi had even made a probationary contract, at Chamo's insistence. It had been tough going and they'd almost given up when Asuna had been caught and Tsukuyomi appeared, but then Mana and Kuu Fei arrived to help. Since then they'd managed to defeat the weaker enemies, so only the stronger opponents were left.

The four girls were still putting up a fight though, and while they were tiring, they still had the upper hand.

Then Naruto burst through the trees, a little worse for wear, but still battle ready. He took a moment to look around the clearing, counting enemies and assessing allies. He was a bit surprised at Mana and Kuu's presence, but at the moment he had other things to worry about, such as the thirty or forty demons still present, and how to get past them so he could help Negi.

To the eyes of those watching, Naruto again suddenly disappeared and reappeared in the midst of his four allies. "Setsuna, Asuna, how're you doing?"

"Fine, just fine," Asuna replied with gritted teeth.

"I am also doing fine, Naruto-sensei."

"Good, good. What about you two?" he asked while turning to face Mana and Kuu, and just when they were about to tell him they were fine as well, they caught sight of his eyes, and while Kuu Fei was just caught by surprise by the intensity, '_A true warriors eyes' _she thought, Mana was shocked by something else.

Looking into those eyes, she couldn't help but think how they were totally different than what she had observed yesterday. Back then, they were carefree and happy, not the eyes of a fighter. Now, they were hard and determined, a true veteran's eyes, possibly even a leader. She was wrong about him and Kaede was right, he really was an experienced soldier.

"Girls!" he said with more force, waking both of them from their thoughts.

"F-Fine-aru," Kuu answered.

"Same," was Mana's response.

"I don't have time to stick around and help, are you sure this isn't too much for you?"

"We can take them."

"Alright, I guess I'll move on then, but first…" Naruto grabbed as many Kunai and Shuriken as he could, about 8 or 9 of each, and began to form three hand seals. It was difficult as his hands were occupied, but the Jutsu wasn't complicated. With a single spinning leap he was up in the air, throwing the weapons at his targets, before finally releasing his Jutsu. A single wave of wind spread, speeding up the projectiles velocity making them near impossible to see or block.

The demons, which had been watching the blond in fear up until now, too prideful to retreat and break their summons and too afraid to attack, were pelted by the weapons. They tried to guard, but it simply cut through their swords and shields, badly damaging them, or through their arms, injuring them. A few simply faded back into smoke, beaten, but most remained behind, only slightly injured.

When the terrified demons frantically looked for the blond, they couldn't find him anywhere, which may have been worse. Their female opponents looked just as surprised and confused as them at that monsters disappearance, and when they were absolutely sure he was gone, the surviving demons breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"We have seen death," one of them said.

"I've never been so thankful at someone looking down at me," said another.

"I know what you mean. Thank the ancestors that he was busy!"

"I'll be havin nightmares fer weeks cause o'this."

"I always fought he was a myth, the kind of fing ye tell yer kids to give'em a scare, but now…" another said with a shiver.

"What are you guys talking about!?" Asuna yelled, bringing attention back to the girls.

"Are you sure we should keep fighting them, they seemed pretty chummy with _**him**_?"

"They really are tough opponents, and as long as we don't seriously hurt them, I don't think he'll come after us. The stories do say he forgives the repentant. I say we go for it."

"Agreed, just don't hurt them too bad."

"Yeah!" the remaining demons shouted, before renewing their assault.

"Whoops," Asuna said innocently.

* * *

Negi charged the platform, blowing right through the demon Fate had summoned to stop him. Next, he cast _Flans Saltatio Pulverea_, using the winds to blow the water up into the air, creating mist. Speeding through the newly created mist, he powered himself up with magic, and jumped off his staff.

"Huh, the staff?" he heard Fate say, as he jumped from a nearby pillar towards Fate, catching him off guard.

He swung, but what he hit wasn't Fate, but his barrier. All Mage's have a magical barrier to protest them from harm, but its strength varies depending on the person. They can be broken or weakened, and they don't always completely stop attacks like this one did. Negi's, for example, only weakened the strength of the blows.

A full inch from his face, Fate's barrier had stopped Negi's magically powered punch.

"I told you, it would be better to stop," Fate calmly told him. Grabbing Negi's outstretched arm out of the air, he continued. "You choose to fight at close range even though you are not used to it, against a far stronger and faster enemy. The son of The Thousand Master, huh? You are nothing but a child. It seems I overestimated you."

Negi did not respond the way Fate expected, he began to laugh. "Hehehe, did we fool you?" he asked with a wink, landing a soft palm strike on Fate. "Release," he said simply. Instantly, Fate was restrained by Sagitta Migica, magical air arrows that capture their target.

'_A spell without chanting,_' he thought with some surprise. "I see, a delayed spell."

"Damn straight," Chamo taunted. "He activated and held it in the mist, plus, when at point blank, anti magic barriers have minimal effect."

"I see… You've made surprising progress for someone with only a little combat experience. I've changed my opinion of you, Negi Springfield."

"Hah, what are you so calm about? You're the one who's trapped!" Chamo shouted.

"The Arrows of Binding is just a basic spell, but it'll take you at least 10 seconds to get out of it once hit."

"And those seconds are plenty. Go Aniki, get Konoka-nee-san."

"Got it!" Negi replied, but when he turned around to retrieve her, she was gone. With wide eyes, he thought, _'Where is she!?'_

And then he saw it. In the large pillar of light, there was movement, and then with a splash, it emerged. A two-faced, four armed behemoth. It was massive, its legs either still sealed or under the water. Each of its faces had two horns, the one facing Negi having them at the temples, while the other face had them towards the centre of its head.

Negi could do nothing but watch in amazement as it rose from the stone, Konoka and her captor Chigusa floating towards its shoulder. The Two-Faced, Four-Armed, Giant Demon: Ryomen Sukuna no Kami, a giant demonic god sealed away 1600 years ago.

"Fufufu, the summoning is a success."

* * *

When Naruto saw the Demon God towering in the distance, he immediately began thinking of ideas to take it down. It wasn't the first time he had fought against giant monsters, though the closest in size would have to be the Ichibi, the One-Tailed Beast that was once sealed inside Gaara. He only beat that because of help from Gamabunta though, and he still only won by waking Gaara up and resealing the thing.

Without the chakra needed to summon the Toad-Boss, nor an easy way to reseal it, the best course of action at the moment seemed to be 'do as much damage as possible, and hope to either kill it, or make it retreat.'

He was quite close to the enemy when he noticed Kaede and Yue in a nearby clearing, the former sat on Kotaro while holding him in an arm hold. He was just going to pass by when he noticed something. A rather large shuriken, almost a full foot taller than Naruto himself was stuck in the ground.

Naruto looked from the shuriken to the Demon God, and couldn't help but think how useful it would be right now. So, Naruto engaged in an age old ninja activity, with a little twist to make it slightly more acceptable.

Jumping next to the shuriken, Kaede immediately spotted him. "Borrowing this!" he shouted, and with a grunt and a bit of chakra, picked it up and began to run again.

When he finally arrived at the wooden bridge where Negi was fighting, Asuna and Setsuna were already there. Unknown to Naruto, Negi had teleported them after his initial attack had failed. He had attacked the Demon God with one of his most powerful spells, but no damage had been done. Then Fate had escaped and struck back, forcing him to summon the girls for help.

"You two get out of here," Setsuna was saying, "I'm going to save Ojou-sama!" It didn't seem any of them had noticed Naruto's arrival. "Ojou-sama and Chigusa are on the shoulder of that giant. I can get up there if it's just by myself."

"How are you going to get that high?" Asuna asked.

"Negi-sensei, Asuna-san, I have kept a secret from you and Ojou-sama… Once you see my true form, I'll have to say goodbye. But now, with you two," she was saying, all while getting more and more hunched over, until finally, beautiful white wings erupted from her back. Looking at their expression of surprise, she continued sadly. "Here is my true form. I'm a monster, just like t-"

"Like hell!" Naruto shouted, alerting them to his presence. He hated those thoughts; they reminded him to much of his past self. "A monster, you? Ha. I've only known you for a little while, and I already know you are no monster. I've met monsters. I have met men who have killed for fun, men who have ripped out their enemies' hearts to extend their own life, men who have subjugated entire countries for personal gain. Have you ever killed?"

"What, no!" she shouted back, startled.

"Have you ever intentionally caused someone pain for your own amusement?"

"No," she replied in a quieter voice.

"Then how can you call yourself a monster? I've met monsters, and you're not even close."

"B-but?" she stumbled, gesturing lamely to her wings.

"Are you trying to say those wings make you a monster? They just make you different. Besides, I think they're amazing."

"Yeah!" Negi agreed, while Asuna went to give them a closer inspection.

"Yep, definitely cool!" Asuna agreed.

"But what about Ojou-sama, she'll hate me!"

"I can't say I don't understand your fear, but trust me on this, if they can't accept you for what you really are, they aren't worth your time. Or work hard until she does accept you. I went through the same fear, the same experience, I understand it, but when they do accept you, and they will, it's the best feeling imaginable."

"Blondie's right, Konoka's your childhood friend, plus you've been watching her for two years now. Do you really think Konoka is the kind of person to hate you for something like this? You're such an idiot." Asuna told her, smiling.

"A-Asuna-san, Naruto-sensei," Setsuna mumbled, surprised at the care being shown towards her.

"Go on Setsuna, we'll support you, right guys?" Asuna asked.

"Yep, get Konoka to safety, and I'll take care of the big guy with this," Naruto told her, indicating the gigantic shuriken.

"That won't work; even one of my most powerful spells didn't even dent it!" Negi told them.

"Trust me brat, I know what I'm doing." Turning to Setsuna, he said, "What are you waiting for, I can't risk hitting Konoka with this thing, go and get her out of the way."

"Hai!" she responded, and then she was off into the air, just as Fate found them.

"There you are, and I see he's joined you too." He said, before spotting Setsuna flying away. Readying a spell to intercept, he was interrupted by Negi and Naruto; the former hit his outstretched arm with a spell, while the latter threw a kunai, forcing him to move.

"So, what now?" Negi asked.

"Easy, beat this punk then kill the giant demon. I thought it was obvious."

"**Uzumaki-san is right, as much as I hate to admit,"** a voice came from nowhere.

"Wha? This voice!" Chamo exclaimed.

"**I've come to see you fight, after all, you do amuse me to no end. I'm sure you can go further, so I'll tell you what, if you can last 90 sec-, no lets make it 3 minutes, since the blond will no doubt help. If you can last 3 minutes, I'll finish it for you."**

"What was that Chibi-chan; have you come to steal the show?"

"**Quiet brat, do you want my help or not?"**

"Well, it couldn't hurt, but three minutes, _come on_, I'll be done by then."

"**Whatever,"** Eva dismissed. "**Hey boya, let me give you some advice**." Eva said to Negi. "**Sometimes, you've got to rush in, damn the consequences. Like you are now, thinking everything through, you'll never catch up to your father. If you're a brat, act like one and leave the rest to us adults,"**

"Alright, let's go!" Negi shouted.

"OK!" Asuna replied.

"Hold him off until Setsuna's clear, then I'll take care of big and ugly there, then I'll come to help against him. Got it?"

"Got it." they replied as they charged forward, Negi quickly activating Asuna's contract.

But by then, Fate had already made his move, appearing right behind Asuna in a burst of speed. She tried to block his kick with her fan, but wasn't quite quick enough and got knocked into the floor, breaking the wooden platform. Before Negi even had time to scream her name, Fate was behind him, delivering a punch to his chest which sent him flying back around 12 feet, straight into Asuna, sending the both of them flying back until they skidded to a stop.

Fate was between Naruto and Negi now. He spared the blond a brief glance, before pressing his advantage against Negi and Asuna. For now at least, Naruto couldn't attack, meaning he wasn't an immediate threat, while those two where.

He attacked viscously, and the two of them together just barely managed to dodge or block his punches. Then, with a final blow, they were sent flying back, and Fate took this time float into the air and prepare a spell. _"__Basilisk, Lizard with Eight Legs and Evil Eyes! Light Placed into My Hand, Shoot Forth the Evil Look! Gaze of Petrifaction."_ With that, a piercing light shot forth from his fingers. Asuna quickly grabbed hold of Negi and shielded him with her own body, while Naruto was forced to dodge.

Asuna came out unharmed, though her clothes were again stone. She ignored that as Negi caught Fate's arm from his diving attack aimed at Asuna.

It was then that Naruto saw it, Setsuna was finally approaching Konoka. With that Naruto created a clone, and then he began to force wind chakra into the massive weapon. _'Split your chakra, and grind to a point,'_ he thought. '_Shaper, sharper, more, more, there,'_ he continued, pumping chakra into the weapon even as he sharpened it. Meanwhile, his clone went through a set of hand seals.

Fate firmly caught, Asuna attacked, swinging her fan, destroying his barrier.

Moments later, three things happened at once. The first was Negi, who landed a solid punch on Fate's face. The second was Setsuna, who dive-bombed through Chigusa's defenses, grabbing Konoka and fleeing. The third was Naruto. With a twist to build up force, he threw the shuriken, and as soon as it was released his clone gave a shout of **Fūton: Daitoppa**. With a rush of wind, the shuriken picked up speed and spin. As soon as it was away, Naruto went to back up Negi and Asuna.

He didn't see as it sped towards its target, which attempted to knock the annoyance out of the air, the first move to defend itself it had made. The weapon hadn't even reached the first hand when it was pierced, and then it reached the hand itself. It didn't stop, and just continued on, the hand cut in half from the wrist to the knuckles. The second arm didn't do much to stop the projectile either, and it severed the hand entirely. Unfortunately, the weapon had been knocked off course and instead of beheading the Demon God like Naruto intended; it passed through the beasts left shoulder, and simply continued on. The so-called God roared in agony as it cradled its damaged limbs and thrashed around, knocking Chigusa off of her perch.

When Fate heard the screaming he was surprised, but didn't let that stop him from pressing his attack on Negi. That was the first proper blow anyone had landed on him, the scratch the blond inflicted didn't count. That would be a glancing blow at best, while this had been a full on punch. Despite himself, Fate was impressed. That didn't mean he was going to let it stand though.

"This is a first, someone actually managed to hit me. Negi Springfield!" he glared as he threw a punch.

Naruto intercepted though, delivering another blow to Fate's face. "U!"

"Zu! Ma! Ki!" the barrage continued with kicks delivered by three separate clones forcing Fate into the air, and another waiting Naruto. "Naruto Renden!" he finished with a flying axe kick to his face. With tremendous force, Fate landed face first in the ground.

Naruto signalled for the exhausted Negi to back off, but the kid was too stubborn to listen, causing Naruto to let out a small smile. However, before Naruto had time to properly capitalize, Fate was getting up. Slowly, true, but that wasn't what stopped Naruto, Negi and Asuna, it was the laughter. Fate was laughing, but when he turned to face them, they saw it didn't reach his eyes at all. It gave Naruto the creeps.

"Hahaha, the both of you are quite impressive, haha, I never would have expected to meet such resistance from the Thousand Master's ten year old child and some unknown blond who wasn't even a Mage." Turning to Naruto, he asked, "What is your name? I never did catch it."

"Uzumaki Naruto, you better remember it!"

That just seemed to make Fate laugh harder, "Spirals! How apt." The laughter slowly subsided then, and suddenly Fate was delivering a punishing kick to Naruto, sending him flying over the water. Instinctively he began to channel chakra to his limbs, allowing him to skid to a stop like it was ground. Standing on water seemed to impress Asuna and Negi, but Fate didn't even blink, and with another burst of speed he was next to Naruto again.

This time he was ready though, and with a quick Kawarimi Fate ended up destroying a log with a single punch. Said log then exploded sending Fate flying back. When finally orientated, he found Naruto stood on the water a short distance away in a defensive position, a kunai held in each hand.

Fate again attacked, and Naruto could just barely keep up, parrying as many blows as he could, waiting for an opening. Then Naruto felt it, like a weight he hadn't even noticed had been lifted from his body, he could feel the difference immediately. The previously near impossible to track movements of Fate became much more noticeable, and the speed of his punches seemed slower, easier to block.

Unfortunately, in that brief moment of surprise, Naruto made a mistake. A simple minute relaxing of his guard, and suddenly Fate had landed a hit that sent him flying into the air. If that was all, it would have been fine, but it wasn't. He'd been kicked towards the Demon God, right in front of its face. It instantly saw him, and if the look of utter rage on its face was any indication, it recognized him as the one who cut his hand off.

With a bestial roar, it struck, and Naruto just barely able to defend himself with a low level wind Jutsu. Nevertheless, he was sent flying across the sky and into the nearby forest. Barely conscious, he watched as a barrier was implemented around the injured God, before it was suddenly frozen. He could hear a voice on the wind, and laughter, "Fools! I am E— evil Mage without e— Gos—l of Dark—. I don't care – he was no match –e!" The voiced caused him to let out a chuckle, which wasn't the best idea at the moment as it sent painful tremors through his body_. 'Oh well, time to make sure Negi and the others are alright,'_ he thought, as he slowly and painfully extracted himself from the trench his speeding body had formed.

* * *

"Naruto-nii-san!" Negi shouted as he watched the blond get hit by the Demon, crashing into the nearby forest. He had no time for anything else though, as Fate was instantly on him. He was too tired, both physically and magically to defend himself properly, otherwise he would have tried to snipe at Fate with his Magic Arrows. Asuna was too far away to help, and so he pitifully tried to defend himself with his arms as Fate closed in.

After a moment though, he felt nothing except a slightly cold sensation. When he opened his eyes, he saw Evangeline coming up from his shadow, one arm extended and holding onto Fate's own arm, an arm that was just inches from striking him.

"I think that's enough from you, boy."

"Eh, Evangeline-san!"

"What's with the surprise, I told you I would come in three minutes, though it was actually more like four. Uzumaki was rather interesting to watch," she told them.

"_Master, the barrier shell is ready_," Chachamru's voice said from nowhere. Looking around, he spotted her in the air nearby, toting a rather large gun.

"Do it," Eva grinned.

"_Roger_." She said, before a crackling field of energy sprung up around the still flailing Demon. _"Please hurry master, against an opponent this size, the barrier will last only a minute."_

"You did well, boy, you managed to last the one and a half minutes I originally intended to give you, so let me tell you something good. In a large scale battle like this, a magic user's role is nothing but heavy artillery. In other words, fire power is everything. You prepare a huge a huge spell while your partners protect you. I'll show you," she offered. "Watch my power as the ultimate Mage!" she yelled as she began to ascend. "Take a good look!" she said again, making her sound like a child.

"O-Okay." Negi sweat dropped.

"_Lic Lac La Lac Lilac,"_ she began with one arm raised, _"__Heed the Contract and Serve Me, Queen of Ice! Come, Unending Darkness, Eternal Glacier!"_ she shouted to the heavens, and with a downward gesture of her hands the Demon God began to freeze.

"What is this!? Who're you?" Chigusa shouted as she floated nearby.

"Kukukuku," Eva laughed, "You're out of your league, woman! What you are seeing is a spell that creates absolute zero in a 150-square-foot area! Even that giant monster can't do anything about that. And I? Fools! I am Evangeline, evil Mage without equal, the Gospel of Darkness. Look upon my magicks, all ye mighty, and despair! Ahahahaha."

"Eva-chan is really getting into this," Asuna commented from beside Negi. He hadn't even noticed her approach, too intent on watching the display of raw power in front of him. He could only numbly nod his head in agreement.

"_Bring Death to All That Has Life, Eternal Rest!"_ she continued the spell, until with a click of her fingers and a flourish, she finished by saying, "_End of the World_, break." Instantly, the frozen enemy shattered into pieces. Laughing again, Eva slowly descended. "I don't care if he was some Demon God," she was saying, "he was no match for me!"

"Wow, that was amazing," Asuna said in wonder.

"Kukuku," she smirked, "how was that my boy? Did you see how awesome my powers are?"

"That was great Eva-chan, no wonder you're always saying you're the strongest." Asuna gushed.

"That was great, Evangeline-san," Negi praised, instantly making her happy.

"There, there, that's it my boy."

"But, what about the curse?"

"That's right; you shouldn't be able to leave the academy!"

"About that, we're using a complex, high level ritual in order to continue to deceive the spirits that perpetuate the spell. Every five seconds, the Headmaster must sign and seal an 'Evangeline is in Kyoto for school purposes' document." Chachamaru explained.

"Plus, as a reward for today, that old geezer agreed to endure the signing until we finish sight seeing in Kyoto tomorrow," she grinned.

"E-every five seconds, is he going to be okay?" Asuna asked.

With a shrug, Eva replied "This is all his fault for not foreseeing this event. He deserves to work a bit." Suddenly she began to glow, and with a sigh she explained, "Outside of the barrier, I'm at my strongest. Ahh, it feels good to be able to go all out after so long. Isn't that right, boya?"

"I guess so?" he answered like he was asking a question. "What do you think Narut-" he began, before remembering exactly what happened to his fellow teacher. "We've got to help him, where did he land?" Negi asked frantically. He was starting to become a bit bleary eyed, which was worrying.

"He was hit wasn't he? I doubt he managed to survive that. Well, good-riddance I suppose, though considering he managed to hurt that Demon God, he may have been quite interesting." Eva callously said.

"What was that Chibi-chan? Do you really think I would die that easy?" Naruto said as he appeared, giving Eva an affectionate pat on the head. He was holding onto his ribs, but apart from that it seemed he had nothing more than a few bruises.

"Wha?" Eva gasped. She hadn't even sensed his approach. She was a vampire and a Mage of the highest degree, able to sense magic and Chi like it was second nature, and he didn't have either. He was a literal blank spot in her magical senses. Stumbling back, she shouted, "Don't you dare touch me in such a familiar manner!"

That just seemed to make him grin.

"Naruto-nii-san, you're alright." Negi shouted happily.

"Well, I'll live, I wasn't hurt too badly," he told them. "It's not like something that weak could beat me."

"And yet you needed my help," Eva told him smugly.

"I suppose, but if I was at my best, I could have taken him."

That got Eva's attention. "Yeah, didn't you say before that your strength hadn't properly returned yet?" Negi asked.

"Yeah, that's right."

"So, just how much of your maximum was this, 80, 90%?" Eva asked.

"No, it was more like I came into this fight with about 30% of my total. I had to conserve my energy too, so I didn't even get to use any of my more powerful techniques," he sighed. Seeing the looks of surprise on their faces, he elaborated, "The strongest technique I used against big and ugly was only a B-Rank, plus the incomplete Rasengan I used against the fake Fate that distracted me. But right now, I'm almost at my limit," he admitted. "What about you two?" he asked Asuna and Negi, the former was holding onto her modesty with a single arm and blushing heavily because of it, and Naruto hastily threw her his jacket when he noticed.

"I'm fine," she responded.

"Negi?"

"I-I'm fine." He answered, but now that Naruto got a closer look at him, it was obvious he wasn't. He was pale and breathing heavily, it looked like he was going to keel over at any second.

"I think you need to sit down," Naruto suggested, even as Negi burst into action, shouting "Eva-san, behind you!" and wrapped his arms around her to protect her. She was instantly blushing, even as she threw him off of her in order to take the hit.

Fate had resurfaced from a nearby puddle, and it seemed he was after the strongest person there. "_Barrier-Breaking, 'Lance of Stone'_" he intoned, and with a hand gesture a spear of stone had erupted from the ground, aimed right for Evangeline.

"Rasengan!" Naruto shouted as he thrust the bright blue orb at the tip, himself positioned between the rock and Eva. The low powered Rasengan wasn't strong enough to destroy it out right, but was more than enough to weaken it, meaning instead of being skewered, the spear merely broke on impact with Eva's stomach, knocking her back.

"Evangeline A.K. McDowell, the 'Doll Master' huh?" Fate identified her.

"That's right, 'The Undying Mage'," she told him as she appeared behind him, her sclera black and vaguely demonic, her hand glowing as she attacked. The force of her strike caused a shockwave that destroyed everything in its path, sending water and wood flying upward.

When it cleared, they could see Fate cut in half, except his body looked like it was made of water. '_The spell he used to trick me.'_ Naruto recognized it.

"I see, I would be at a disadvantage to fight a true-blooded vampire. I'll be retreating for today," it said before disappearing with a splash.

"He's running away, huh? Hmph, that brat, is no human either… the way he moves is more like a construct. A Doll, maybe? I have no idea who he could be working for though. Oh well, no need to worry anymore, I'll accompany you for the rest of the trip," she told them.

"Thanks Eva-san," Negi said, as he slowly dropped to his knees, before finally losing consciousness altogether.

"Negi-sensei!"

"W-What's wrong boy?" Eva asked.

"He's a mess; his entire right side has been turned to stone!" Chamo explained.

"Negi-kun!", "Negi-sensei!" Konoka and Setsuna shouted as they ran towards the down Negi, Kaede, Yue, Kotaro, Kuu Fei and Mana not far behind.

"What's wrong?"

"He's in a dangerous situation," Chachamaru explained. "Negi-sensei's magic resistance is incredibly high, so the petrifaction process is slow, but at this rate, he will be unable when his neck petrifies, and he'll suffocate."

"What! Eva-chan, can't you do something?" Asuna asked.

"I-I'm really bad at healing magic, I'm undead so I never needed it." she told her, looking regretful.

When Asuna looked at Naruto, he answered "I don't know anything either, medic was Sakura-chan's role."

Seeing the lack of idea's as the petrifaction gradually engulfed him, Setsuna spoke up. "Ojou-sama."

"Yeah," she answered as she stepped forward. "Um, Asuna, is it okay if I kiss Negi-kun?"

"What, Konoka this is no time-"

"No, I mean that Pactio thing. Set-chan filled me, and I want to thank you all. My classmates have done so much to help me today, so even if it's only this much, I want to help."

"That's right; the Pactio draws out the latent powers in the Ministra Magi. If we can use the healing power's Konoka used in cinema town…" Chamo explained.

Seeing their agreement, Konoka slowly bent down, and with a flash of light, the Pactio was formed.

Slowly, ever so painstakingly slowly, Negi opened his eyes. In front of him stood Konoka and just behind her, Asuna and more of his students. His first words upon waking up were "Konoka-san, thank goodness you're okay."

That set the girls cheering, Eva and Naruto breathing simultaneous sighs of relief even as Kuu Fei began jumping up and down in the air. Konoka and Asuna slowly helped  
Negi to his feet,

They began to make their way back to headquarters, some in relative silence, others chatting excitedly about the world they had just entered, (Kuu Fei). Naruto stayed back, however. The only one who noticed was Asuna, and when she turned round to shout at him to get moving, he shooed her on, silently telling her he would catch up. She seemed hesitant, but agreed anyway.

When they were out of sight, he sagged. That blow had hurt him more than he let on and he hadn't wanted to worry them. It would be easier to go back at his own pace rather than struggle to keep up; besides, he had something to do first.

Stepping onto the water, he headed straight across the lake, hoping that the giant shuriken wouldn't be hard to find. He hadn't been paying much attention to it after he had thrown it, but seeing as he noticed he had wounded the Demon God's left side, it had probably veered that way.

Soon he picked up the trail of damaged trees on the shore not too far away. He followed it, finding the large four-bladed weapon buried at least a foot deep in a boulder.

Sighing, he began to pull it out, thinking to himself how this is what happens when you pour a weapon with so much chakra it threatens to explode, then sharpen to the point of ridiculousness. Slowly it began to come loose, until with another burst of chakra through the blade it sprang loose, causing him to stumble back.

He was about to set off on the long and painful trek to Headquarters when he heard the sound of running, and then suddenly Chigusa burst through the brush, right into the clearing.

Her eyes immediately widened at the sight of him, and she began backing up as she made to run away when a voice seemed to come from everywhere. "-Those evil doers in their pride, they should be prepared to be destroyed by evil in turn. Are you prepared?" the slightly squeaky slightly demonic voice asked as a blade came from no where, blocking Chigusa's path.

She turned to him, and then a light weight settled on Naruto's shoulder. Taking a quick glance, he recognized it as one of Chibi-chan's dolls, only now it had what could only be considered very big knife in its hand.

"If you are not prepared," it continued, "you are nothing but a fool, a third-rate cowardly punk. Those evil-doers without dignity deserve nothing more than to die cowering on the ground!" With that said, it swung.

Faced with Naruto, who she was terrified of, and Chachazero who was attacking her, she fainted before the blade was even close. The knife buried itself in the ground near Chigusa's head, and the little puppet let out a sigh.

"Yo," Naruto greeted. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and you are?"

The doll grinned in response. "My name's Chachazero, nice ta meet'cha."

"Are you one of Chibi-chan's … helpers?"

"Yep, I'm Master's favorite Doll, we've been together for years!"

"That's nice," Naruto replied. "So, did she make you, or what?"

"Yep, made me herself. I was probly her first success," she boasted.

"Oh, so you'll know her quite well then?"

"Yep!" she chirped, "But I don't think Master would like me talking about it."

"Oh, too bad," Naruto sighed. "So, why were you chasing her?" he asked, lightly kicking Chigusa's outstretched hand. Unfortunately that woke her up. Opening her eyes, she saw a blond haired, blue eyed youth grinning above her. She promptly screamed in terror and fainted.

The Doll perched on his shoulder looked at Naruto in awe as her prey fainted at the sight of him. He wasn't even holding any weapons! "I miss the screams," she commented, thinking of the old days.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"Nothing. So, why was she so scared of you?"

"Oh, she just made me angry, and I can get pretty scary when I'm angry," he told her with a mock shiver. "A little scare tactics after that, and she wouldn't dream of fighting me."

"Cool," Chachazero breathed.

"Now, Zero-chan, just give me a sec while I grab her, and we'll make our way to Chibi-chan, kay?"

"Aww, no blood?"

Giving the Doll a funny look, he quickly put Chigusa on his back, let Chachazero back on his shoulder, and grabbed Kaede's shuriken from where he left it when he heard the running.

"Now, I need you to make sure she doesn't do anything cause it'll be hard for me to stop her in this position. Can I count on you?"

"Yep!"

With that they were off. It made a fairly comical sight, a blond boy walking through the forest, in one hand a shuriken bigger than he was, on his shoulder a puppet carrying a knife with a blade at least two feet long, carrying an unconscious woman on his back.

Yes, comical. What, it was? It was! Believe me dammit!

* * *

The following is what happened after Naruto was sealed, just so you know.

**What Naruto Didn't See**

Giving another laugh, Madara left the clearing. He would be coming back here, but only after the Hachibi's sealing was complete, which would only be another day by now. He now knew the exact location of the Kyuubi, and it wasn't likely to escape anytime soon.

"HEY! Where do you think you're going!" the voice of Naruto called out, or to be more precise, two voices called out, each belonging to the same person. Madara turned, and before him stood two Narutos.

The two orange clad ninja ran in opposite directions, forcing Madara to chase after them. The first was easily caught and destroyed, but the second proved more elusive.

After 10 full minutes spent chasing him, Madara finally managed to pin the second one.

Looking into the clones blue eyes, Madara began to squeeze its neck, releasing all the frustration he could, doing what he could to this clone that he couldn't do to the original. So many plans foiled by this boy alone and at every moment in his life, his plans had been stopped and his people stepped on by the Hokage's and Senju, and this boy was a legacy of both. He poured all the hate and rage he could into choking the blond, glaring into its blue eyes.

Still the clone kept smiling, staring into his one visible Sharingan eye.

Just before it popped, it spoke, even though it shouldn't even be able to breath. "Boss made three."

By the time he realised what it meant, it was already too late, and Madara felt infinite pain as immeasurable numbers of microscopic blades pierced his entire body, and by the time it was over, there was nothing left in the immediate area, except one tired looking boy in orange, who went to Konoha to see what they could do.

Stumbling into the Hokage's office, the exhausted clone gasped out "Help…Boss…In…A clearing…Near lake…North-West-West," before it disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Those ninja's of the leaf found the clearing, but not Naruto. Searching continued for months, but with no word, hope began to fade, until finally it was decided he was dead. Given a hero's funeral in his last known location, even without a body, a single tree was planted to act as an eternal grave. The seed, one of Yamato's special seeds, grew into a magnificent tree beyond all doubt. When asked why this tree was so amazing, some would answer that it was one of the Shodai Hokage's special trees, while others would say it had been blessed by the Hero who it was planted for. They didn't know how right they were.

**END**

* * *

Author's notes:

Before any one asks, the reason he didn't receive his clones memories was because being sealed, he was outside of both Space and Time, and therefore unreachable by the transfer process.

I'd like to comment on the brief skirmish in the bath. Of the two styles of Combat Mage, there is 'Wizard' and 'Magic Swordsman'. If you read the manga, you know that about 95% of the Mages seen are Magic Swordsman. So, I decided to give a little love to the Wizard Style, Naruto acting the part of Minister Magi, showing that it could even unbalance Fate, even if just a little. I my opinion it doesn't get enough attention in the manga.

The tactics against the Demon God: Hmm, let's see, Naruto's tactic's were fairly basic, but affective. The way I see it, the Demon God wasn't exactly at full strength either, and it's not like it was mobile. The cutting power came from a combination of Kaede's shuriken and a B-ranked technique called Flying Swallow. It is the technique Asuna uses on his knives. The Great Breakthrough is a C-Rank wind Jutsu.

The Jutsu he used to speed the kunai and shuriken when he was with the army of demons was something I made up. A C-Ranked defensive Jutsu that he released to speed up his thrown weapons. He also used it to defend himself against the Demon Gods wrath. I haven't named it yet.

About Jutsu, I'll say this now: He knows 5 wind Jutsu and 2 water Jutsu. Flying Swallow and Rasenshuriken doesn't count. Any other Jutsu he will be shown to learn.

Most techniques used where in English this time, because the main translation would be Greek or similar, so I'm not going to go into it.

**Fūton: Daitoppa**. : Wind Style, Great Breakthrough- creates a forward wind force that can even blow away human enimies


	13. Kyoto Trip: End

"Have you seen Chachazero?" Eva asked her servant, Chachamaru.

"Not since you sent her after that woman, Master."

"I see," she replied. "So, what are you going to be doing?" she asked the other girl that was with them, Setsuna.

"Once I'm sure she's been captured, I'll take my leave."

"What, no goodbyes?"

"It would only be painful to see them face-to-face again."

"**Master, Master, we've got her**!" Chachazero giggled over her mental bond.

"Well, my Doll's just reported in, apparently they've got her," she told the swordswoman. _'Wait, what did she mean, we?'_

"Then I will be taking my leave," she informed them as she set off, but before she could take 5 steps, the sound of laughter echoed.

"Seriously, garlic?" it laughed, "I've got to remember that!"

"It's true!" another voice giggled eerily.

Then Naruto emerged from the tree line, carrying Chachazero, Kaede's shuriken and the unconscious form of Chigusa on his back. Both of them where shaking with laughter, and when Eva processed what they were talking about, she paled before charging forward and grabbing her wayward puppet from his shoulder.

"What did you tell him?" she hissed.

"I didn't tell him anything, Master, I promise!" Evidently, Eva didn't believe her puppet and began to shake it back and forth.

"Oi, get off of her!" Naruto yelled, wrenching the poor puppet from Eva's grasp.

Cradling it like a child, he shook his head at her like he was disappointed and continued on toward the compound. Every step was agony as he walked, bringing a fresh wave of pain through his body, but he refused to let it show.

He stopped himself when he caught sight of the pack slung over Setsuna's shoulder though. "And where do you think you're going?"

"I-I have no choice," she choked out, "it's the law of my people. Once you have seen my true form, I have to…"

"Liar."

"What?"

"You always have a choice, you're just afraid of getting hurt, so you're running away. I didn't take you for a coward that would abandon her friends, her duty." He sneered.

"My debt to the Konoe family is fulfilled!" she shouted back.

"Oh, so that's the only reason you protected Konoka."

"No! You're wrong! I did it because I can't stand the thought of her being hurt."

"And yet, you're leaving, not even saying goodbye. Do you really think that wouldn't hurt her?"

"I-I-"

"Or is it because of those wings? Do you think they would abandon you?" Naruto snorted. "I doubt it."

"What would you know!?"

"More than you," he muttered darkly.

"I was abandoned by my people, and now they know, my friends will abandon me too!"

"You're not the only one who was shunned, but I clawed my way into their hearts. The thought of leaving those people who accepted me is unimaginable. Now answer me honestly, do you want to leave?"

"No!"

"Then don't, it is as simple as that."

"But-"

"Like I said, they won't reject you. I thought Asuna, Negi and I made that point very clear last night. What about Konoka, what did she say when she saw your wings?"

"She said they were beautiful wings, like an angel."

"And you were going to leave? Are you a moron?" he asked kindly. She was beginning to cry softly. Stepping up to her, he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "These are people who accept you, never forget that." She nodded in his embrace, and he continued to hold her close as she cried into his chest. When she was done, he loosened his hold and stepped back a little.

Spotting Negi, he motioned him to come closer. The boy had obviously been watching at least some of the display. Hesitantly, he approached. "Setsuna was thinking of leaving," he told the young teacher, which got exactly the reaction Naruto was looking for.

"What, you can't go! What about Konoka-san and Asuna-san!" he cried as he grabbed onto her. "Nobody cares about your true form, and come to think of it Evangeline-san is a vampire and Chachamaru-san is a robot. Even I can't reveal myself or I'll be turned into an ermine!"

"I'll stay," she told him with a small smile, "I'll stay."

"Thank goodness." He responded.

Then suddenly Asuna and Konoka were there, asking for her help, and as quick as they came they were off back to the hotel, all but Eva, Chachamaru, Chachazero, Naruto and the unconscious Chigusa.

As Setsuna turned to leave, Naruto whispered, "Come to me if you ever need to talk." She nodded as she left.

"Hey!"! Kaede yelled when she spotted Naruto, who was still holding her shuriken.

Handing it over to the taller girl, he said, "Thanks for letting me borrow it, it really did come in handy."

As soon as she got her hands on it she seemed to relax, and with a quick questioning glance she was walking away again. She would be back, but right now they really did have to get back to the hotel.

"Hey, Zero-chan, can you get the Elder for me?"

"Okay, Naruto-sama." With that the small puppet was away, leaving him with Eva and Chachamaru.

"You know, she refused tell me anything. All I managed to coax out of her was that you once had an embarrassing experience with garlic. You didn't have to shake her like that." He explained to Eva.

"How I punish my subordinate's is none of your business, Uzumaki," she sneered.

"She didn't do anything wrong. I'm not going to let you punish her for this."

"How do you intend to stop me?"

"I'll find a way."

"Tch, fine, I won't do anything to her, but next time she won't be so lucky."

"Thanks Chibi-chan."

Suddenly Eva was directly in front of him, her hand around his neck. She was transformed into the figure of a rather tall and busty blonde woman. "Don't call me that," she growled.

"Why not?" he asked. He hadn't made a move to defend himself, and just stared into her eyes as she they spoke.

"I am the Gospel of Darkness, the most feared Mage of our time, a seven hundred year old pure blooded vampire. You do not have the strength, intelligence or age to call me that," she snarled, causing Naruto to grin.

"So, say if I was smarter or older, you would let me call you Chibi-chan?"

"I suppose, but like I said, I am over 700 years old."

"Well, isn't that funny, I'm over 3500 years old. I don't even know by how much."

"Don't screw with me." She hissed as she tightened her hold by a fraction.

"I'm not, just ask the Headmaster."

She looked into his blue ayes, and saw nothing but the truth in them. He wasn't bluffing. Releasing his neck, she backed off with a scowl. He'd tricked her into agreeing to the nickname. She would just freeze him on the spot, but he'd caught her attention now, and as much as she hated to admit it, he was interesting.

He had been looking her in the eyes, confident he wouldn't be harmed. He was unlike anyone she had ever met in her hundreds of years, not just in terms of his unique source of strength, but in personality too. She found herself unable to predict how he would react, something she found herself mildly annoyed with.

What was worse, the closest person she knew personality wise would have to be Nagi. He was usually cheerful, but serious when the situation called for it, though Nagi could usually be found grinning even in battle. He treated her like a normal girl, just like Nagi did. The more she watched, the more like Nagi he showed himself to be.

Maybe he would be able to influence Negi to act more like him, and with her own supervision plus a few years, she would have a little Nagi, minus all the bit's she disliked. Ah, but that was wishful thinking.

Dammit, she couldn't kill him, he was much too interesting and Nagi like to be killed because he called her an annoying nickname. He wouldn't stop calling her it either, even if she forced the issue. Plus, if his claim was true, he'd outsmarted her and tricked her into agreeing to the nickname. Another blow to her pride, true, but that just made him more interesting. Besides, he might even prove useful to her.

"Fine," she growled in agreement, "I'll let you off for now, but don't expect me to call you Onii-chan."

"It's only a matter of time," he laughed.

"In return, you will answer my questions."

"Alright, I'll answer, but you only get three."

"Fine. Where do you come from?"

"I thought I answered this one when I met the rest of the class." Giving a sigh, he answered her. "Konoha, one of the five superpowers of my day."

"What are you?"

"A ninja."

"Don't lie to me; I don't sense nearly enough Chi in you for that."

"What's Chi?"

"The physical energy that is used in ninja techniques, Shinmeiryuu sword techniques, and in most high level physical battles!"

"Sorry, never heard of it," he told her. "My abilities stem from an energy called Chakra, it is made by the mixing of physical and spiritual energy within the body. Now, last question."

"Why did you defend me from the white-haired guys attack? I'm not like them; I can see how much pain you're in just standing there. At least three cracked ribs, the muscles on your right arm look torn, and you've even managed to sprain both ankles. I'm surprised you can even stand. Yet you throw yourself in front of a magical stone pillar at a moments notice in order to blunt the edge."

"Noticed that, huh?"

"Just answer the question."

"Why wouldn't I help you? You're one of me and Negi students. Plus, you took me into you're home. True, you're not exactly happy about it, but you could've have made it worse. I'm really grateful to you Evangeline-san. You too Cha-chan."

"You're welcome," Chachamaru responded.

"You're both my precious people now, and I would never let anyone hurt you."

"I don't need your protection." She snapped back, blushing. "Even if that spear had pierced my flesh, this body is immortal and would have healed immediately."

"I'll remember that, but it doesn't mean I won't be there if you ever do need my help."

With no response to that, the blushing Eva soon left, Chachamaru dutifully following.

"I wouldn't antagonize her you know. She is quite dangerous right now." The voice of Eishun warned.

Sighing, Naruto turned towards the man with a wince, and asked, "So you heard that then?"

"Yes. Chibi-chan, what a dangerous name."

"She'll get used to it," Naruto dismissed. "So, why is she so dangerous? I mean, I know she's powerful, I mean she took down that Demon God like it was nothing, but both you and Negi have both warned me that she's a danger like you are afraid she'll kill me in my sleep. I want to know why."

"Come, I'll tell you as we heal you." Noticing Chigusa still on his back, he called for guards to take her away.

Dropping her to the ground, he followed Eishun into the temple, Chachazero, who had been following behind Eishun until now took the first opportunity she could to hop back onto his shoulder. Even her diminutive weight sent a fresh wave of pain through his body.

The Elder lead Naruto through the temple in silence, before they finally arrived at the healing chamber. Inside the smallish room was a row of beds, all unoccupied, and a waiting woman; she looked to be in her mid-thirties.

"Another patient? Hmm, one that's actually injured and not just turned to stone."

"Yes." Eishun responded.

"Alright then, come here boy."

"Er, sure," Naruto said as he approached.

"Now, let me just take a look at you. Give me your arm." He did so. Muttering under her breath, she wrapped her hands around his arm. "Ehhhhh! What the hell! How are you even standing! Lie down right now and strip off!" she ordered. Quickly complying he lay down on the nearest bed, dressed in nothing but his boxers. Zero sat at the bed side table and Eishun sat in the chair by his bed.

Quickly the healer got to work as they talked.

"I don't know the details," Eishun began, "but what I do know is this. Several hundred years ago, a ten year old girl, Evangeline A.K McDowell was turned into a vampire. I don't know when, or even how it happened, but eventually she began to commit evil acts, and slowly attracted attention, and a bounty. The more people attacked, the stronger she became, increasing her bounty, which began a vicious cycle. One day, she ran into the Thousand Master, and he befriended her."

"Negi's dad?"

"Yes. He never did tell me exactly what happened, but he ended up cursing her. She was to stay at Mahora Academy, living happily in the light, until such a time as he returned to free her. Unfortunately, he disappeared shortly after, and nobody knows where he is. She has been stuck at that school with her powers sealed for just over 15 years now."

"Geez, no wonder she's so lonely."

"Lonely?"

"Yeah, she really is lonely." When Eishun continued to give him a funny look, he explained, "Those that have suffered that hell of loneliness can always tell when someone else is suffering through it."

"If you say so." Eishun avoided asking about his own life, something Naruto was very grateful for. "I wanted to extend my thanks to you, Naruto-kun."

"What for?"

"For protecting Konoka and capturing Chigusa."

"No need for that, besides, it was Zero-chan that caught her, I just happened to be in the area."

"That's right," the doll put in. She had kept her silence during the story about her Master, but had decided to remind them of her presence.

"Well, if you ever need anything, all you have to do is ask."

"Thanks." He told him, before something clicked. "Wait, did you say sealed?"

"Yes, her powers are sealed, and there is a barrier in place that keeps her in the boundaries of Mahora. That's all I know."

"Well, all that's left is the finishing touches and rest," the healer told them.

"No, sorry, I've got to find out more about this barrier, I'll rest later."

"No, I insist," the woman said with a look that Naruto had found could only be produced by doctors and nurses.

Gulping, he nodded. The healer placed his hands on his chest, and with a soft white glow, he was asleep.

"Perhaps I should have mentioned that the healing process would make him very tired once it was done. Oh, well, too late now. How long will he be asleep?"

"With the level of injuries he had, he'll be out for at least three days."

"Well, that won't do. My daughter's trip ends tomorrow, and I think it would be best if he returned with them."

"Certainly, I'll call for someone to take him to your daughter's hotel immediately."

"No need, I'm showing Negi his father's home later to day. I will take him there before escorting him back to the hotel personally."

"Don't think I don't see right through you, any excuse to spend more time with your daughter, eh?"

"Haha, as expected of Aki-san."

"Well yes, but before that he should rest."

"Of course."

"What about the Doll?"

"Just leave it; I don't think it'll do anything."

"Yes Leader."

"Now, if you'll excuse me…" and with that he left, leaving Aki, Naruto and Chachazero alone.

Sitting on his bed, the healer gently stroked Naruto's spiky blond hair. "Such a handsome young man, you have no business on the battlefield," she sighed. Suddenly there was a blade on her throat, and so with wide eyes and without turning her head, she looked for its source.

Holding the knife was Chachazero. "Oi, watch'a think ya doin'? Off 'im." She ordered. Slowly the healer backed away and fled the room.

Retracting the blade to her side, she was left wondering why exactly she did that. Shrugging her shoulder, she shuffled onto Naruto's chest and kept watch for the molesting healer.

* * *

Hours later, Eishun was waiting just outside the entrance to Nagi's holiday home, waiting for Negi and his friends to arrive. He had already put Naruto inside on a couch to rest, unfortunately due to Eva's puppet that seemed to be guarding him, they were unable to dress him. It had been damn near impossible to get it to agree to let them carry him away, but it seemed to be very suspicious of anyone getting close, especially the healer, which he found odd.

Taking out a cigarette to help calm his nerves, he settled down to wait. Luckily, they arrived shortly after, unfortunately he was only on his third drag when Konoka pulled the cigarette from his fingers and maliciously stamped on it with the sweetest smile he'd ever seen.

"I hope you rested well."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Good, good. Now, the house is just this way," he explained. The group followed him as he led the way through the forests.

"Elder-san, have you seen Naruto-nii-san?"

"Yes, he is resting in Nagi's home. He was very badly injured and needed to go through a healing ritual. He will be asleep for at least three days, maybe more."

"How badly was he hurt?"

"From what the healer told me, he had multiple fractures, torn muscles and both ankles were sprained. She was amazed he could even move under his own power."

"He's fine now though, right?"

"Oh yes, he'll wake up none the worse for wear in a couple of days."

Negi gave a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. When he didn't follow us back to the hotel, we got worried." Frowning again, Negi asked, "What about Kotaro-kun, what's going to happen to him?"

"I don't think he'll be too harshly punished, even if he was working for Awagasaki Chigusa. Anyway, please leave that to us."

"More importantly is the white haired brat," Eva stated.

"We are currently looking into that. He is going by the name Fate Averruncus, though that is probably an assumed name. He came to us about a month ago, from the Istanbul Magic Association. That's all we know so far."

"Alright, thank you very much for telling me."

"Its fine," he said, as a house came into view. "Here we are, please come in Negi-kun."

The house may not have been very big, but it was very tall. Three storeys tall, one wall of which was completely lined with books up its entire length. On the ground floor was the entrance, as well as a single desk and couch. On the couch lay Naruto, his clothes piled beside him. It looked like he had been covered by blanket, but at some point he'd kicked it off, leaving his modesty protected by nothing but his boxers. Chachazero was sat on the nearby table, watching him sleep, something Eva found mildly disconcerting. That puppet loved nothing but blood shed and destruction. And Chamo, but Eva really didn't want to consider the implication of that.

Spotting him, Asuna blurted, "WHY IS HE NAKED?"

"It was necessary for the healing," Eishun explained.

"Really? From what I've heard, you don't usually have to strip them to heal, not unless it's really serious." Eva said.

"No, no, she has always had to have skin to skin contact to heal."

"If you say so."

The other girls, Konoka, Setsuna, Yue, Haruna and Nodoka were already inspecting the house and looking through books, while Negi's face lit up like a kid on Christmas and he dashed off to explore.

Some time later, Negi was looking through some of his father's books when Eishun approached him. "How's it going Negi-kun?"

"Great! There are a lot of things I want to look over though, but I don't have the time. It is a school trip after all."

"Don't worry Negi, you can come back whenever you like."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem at all; this place does technically belong to you."

"Wha?"

"It is your father's property, and as his child it belongs to you."

"Thank you." Negi smiled. "Um, about my father. What can you tell me about him?"

"I suppose I could tell you a little. Konoka, Setsuna-kun, can you come up here for a moment. You too Asuna-kun, there are things you should hear as well."

* * *

As the girls ascended the stairs, Naruto stirred. No one noticed, well, except Chachazero, but she couldn't say without risking detection by the normal people. All the girls apart from Haruna and Nodaka were upstairs, and those two were too fascinated by the books to notice him.

Opening his eyes to unfamiliar surroundings, he glanced around the room with as little movement as possible. Noticing the group congregated on the balcony above, he relaxed. He struggled, but finally managed to stand. He felt _so_ tired, but at least the pain was gone.

Thankfully someone had re-covered him with the blanket, so wrapping that around himself, he grabbed the silent Zero and made his way up the stairs to where Negi was.

Reaching the landing he spotted Yue eavesdropping on the conversation, not that that was hard. He briefly considered outing her, before deciding he didn't care.

"Show me, show me! Which one's Negi's father?" Asuna was asking.

"This one," Konoka pointed out, though neither Naruto nor Yue could see. "Isn't he cool!"

"What's wrong Kagurazaka?" Eva asked.

"Eh, n-nothing."

"I was still a young man during the war; I fought along side Nagi as his comrade. When peace returned 20 years ago, he become known for his heroic deeds. They called him the Thousand Master. Chigusa's parents died during the war, that's why she bears a grudge against western Mages. It's also probably why she did what she did. I thought we were inseparable friends, Nagi and I, but 10 years ago he vanished. Where he was, what he was doing? Nobody knows. Official records even state his death was in 1993." Eishun explained. "I'm sorry Negi-kun, that's all I know."

"Thank you," Negi said.

"It's a real shame we couldn't find any clues, right Aniki?" Chamo commented, causing Yue to start. She couldn't see who was speaking, but she knew it was none of her classmates.

"That's not true, Chamo-kun. I can feel something just from seeing father's room."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he breathed.

A moment of silence, then "Negi-kun, about this," Eishun said, causing Yue to peek around the door frame.

"Hey everybody! Have you finished you're complicated conversation yet?" Asakura yelled as she entered the room from another door, sending Yue back in her shock, right into Naruto. She squeaked in surprise and jumped right into Asakura. "Steady on Yue-chi," she said. Turning back to the group, she finished, "I'm going to be taking a memorial photo, so come down stairs."

"A memorial photo?" Eva asked.

"Yeah, I completely forgot about this group, I've already taken one for all the others." She explained.

"I think I'll pass," Eva told her.

In response Naruto stepped into the open, "Sorry Chibi-chan, you too."

"I thought you were supposed to be asleep for the next few days?"

"Nope, sorry."

"B-but that's impossible. For injuries like yours, you should be bed-ridden for days!" the elder declared.

Shrugging, he responded "I heal fast. Now, about that photo." Smirking, he approached Eva, who seemed about to fight back. When Naruto lunged in an attempt to grab her, she jumped to the side, causing him to miss completely, and go crashing to the floor. Placing one foot on his back, Eva struck a victory pose, one which was cut short when Asakura surprised her with a headlock.

"Come on Eva-chan," she insisted, and dragged her down the stairs, all the while restraining her.

The girls all straightened themselves out and lined up while Naruto put on his pants. He was called over before he had time to put on a shirt though.

Asakura lined them all in a row, with Naruto just behind Negi, both hands on his shoulders and Zero perched on Naruto's head, while Chamo took residence on Negi's head. With a flash and a click, it was over, and they continued to look through the house.

It was some time later when Naruto's stomach growled. He blushed slightly in embarrassment and scratched the back of head with a grin. That was when Negi realised how late it was getting. Deciding they needed to get back to the hotel, he herded the girls through the doors.

* * *

When they arrived back, Negi was immediately besieged by some of the more enthusiastic girls, while Naruto had to dodge Mana, Kaede and Kuu. He managed that somehow, he still wasn't sure how.

He slipped into the dining room, and finding it empty, he made his way to the kitchen, to see if he could find a kind cook who would feed him.

He found the entire kitchen bustling with activity. "What can we do for you young man?" asked one of female cooks who seemed to be taking a break. Naruto's rumbling stomach indicated exactly what he wanted. With a kind smile she gave him an apple and said, "If you want more, you'll have to wait."

Disappointed, he left, gobbling the apple down. He went straight to the room he shared with Negi, and finding it empty just lay down. He wanted to sleep, but knew if he did he would miss dinner, something he definitely wanted to avoid.

Sitting up, he thought about where he could get something to eat. After a few moments, it hit him. Satsuki and Chao had brought those nikuman, maybe they had some left? That itself was a problem though, both Kuu and Kaede were in that group.

Sneaking through the corridors, he made his way to the room he knew belonged to Group 2. Opening the door, he found his targets, plus Hakase Satomi and Kasuga Misora. All of which were changing from their uniforms into yukata. He caught a quick glimpse of their bodies; and the voice much like Jiraiya's began to commentate. _"That Satomi girl is a bit pale and thin, and not exactly got much on top either. Satsuki's better, slightly on the chubby side, giving her larger breasts; I'd love to take a bite out of her. Hmm, Chao's quite good too, nice and lithe, but again, not much up top. Misora nice too, especially those legs, they're amazing." _

"_NARUTO! STOP STARING!"_ the voice of Sakura came from no where, knocking him from his thought, and with a phantom pain to the back of his head, he slammed the door shut. The entire thing had lasted all of a second. Red faced, he fled.

* * *

Negi was relaxing in his room when Naruto burst in and slammed the door behind him. As soon as they had entered the hotel, Makie, Ayaka and Yuna gad come out of nowhere, which had commanded Negi's attention for quite some time. Once he'd extracted himself from that, Kuu Fei, Nagase-san and Tatsumiya-san had asked if he knew where Naruto-nii-san had gone. When he told them he didn't know, they were quite annoyed and had stormed off to continue his search. He had finally made it back to his room, only for this to happen.

The first thing that Negi asked wasn't why he was running, because at a guess it was from their students, three in particular, but "Why are you smiling?"

"I'm smiling?"

Negi nodded his head in response. Naruto had wide grin on his bright red face. "What happened?"

"Well, I was" he began, before realizing just who his audience was. "Sorry, it's not important. When's dinner?"

Checking his watch he answered "In about twenty minutes. We should probably head over there in 10 minutes, so we can organise the groups. You're not going to skip out on doing that again, are you?" Negi asked in a voice that made him shiver. He'd been skipping out on that little responsibility, plus just about any other tedious teacher responsibility, whenever it came up.

"Er, yep, sure thing Negi."

They spent the time talking about nothing in particular, before finally setting off for the dinning hall. Negi and Naruto led them in thanking them for the meal, "Itadakimasu!" before finally settling down to eat themselves.

Moments later, Naruto was finished, and was already asking seconds, then thirds, before finishing his fourth portion, just as Negi was finishing his first.

"Hungry?" Chao asked.

"Yeah," Naruto answered, not realizing who it was.

"Did you enjoy the show?"

"What show?" he asked, slightly confused. Had he missed something?

"When you peeked on us changing of course," she answered, catching his full attention.

That was when he noticed that he and Negi were sharing a table with Group 2. Kuu Fei and Kaede were luckily on the far side, but Chao was right next to him and Satomi was across from him. To his diagonal right, and across from Negi, was Satsuki, and to his diagonal left Misora. All the girls who had been in the room when had barged in were blushing, though for Chao it was only her normal perma-blush and Satomi's face was only a little red, but both Satsuki and Misora bore bright red faces.

"I'm so sorry," he reacted immediately. "I didn't mean to, I only came in because I wanted some of those tasty meat buns." He told them, head low in apology.

With the compliment to her cooking skills, Satsuki relaxed at least a little, but the comment caused Misora and Chao to blush harder. "Do you really think they're that good?"

Sensing a way out, Naruto quickly nodded his head. "I bet you really would like to have a taste of our meat-buns," she commented.

Naruto felt something was a bit off; Ero-sennin's voice was giggling away again, but agreed anyway. "I sure would."

"Do our soft, warm buns really look that good?" she finished with a soft sigh.

Now the warning bells were really going off, but he pushed on regardless. "Yep, they're incredible!"

The whole table was blushing now, all except Negi and Naruto, who were a bit lost. Then it clicked, and Naruto shouted, "Not like that, I meant the nickuman!"

That sent Chao laughing hard. "I-I know, Naruto-kun," she said between laughs. When she finally calmed down, she muttered, "Yuki-nee-chan was right, you are fun to tease."

"What was that?" he asked.

"Nothing Naruto-kun, nothing at all."

"I really am sorry, I didn't mean to peek." He apologised again, after they had all calmed down a bit.

"It's alright, we know it was an accident," Satsuki told him.

"Probably picked it up from Negi-bozou," Kaede added, which made a couple of girls giggle.

Yawning, Naruto got up to leave, "I think I'm going to go to bed, I've had a busy couple of days," he told them.

"Don't forget your promise-aru," Kuu reminded him.

"Don't worry, I haven't," he responded as he left.

He got back to the room and immediately changed and packed. They had an early start tomorrow, and he didn't want to have to worry about it in the morning. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

The next morning started as usually, before the girls all finished packing and they set off to the train station. Shizuna told the girls what would happen when they got back to Mahora, and with a few brief words to Negi, they were boarding the train.

A few minutes after it started to move, the girls began to fall asleep one by one. Negi was already sleeping, slumped on Asuna's shoulder, when Shizuna and Nitta entered the compartment to check up on them.

"What's with them?" Naruto asked one of the two other people not asleep, Chachamaru. "I didn't think they would be that tired."

"The class was up for much of the night last night, playing." She explained. "Didn't you hear the explosions?"

"No," he answered, shaking his head.

"Perhaps that is for the best."

Soon, Naruto too, drifted off, leaving Chachamaru and Eva the only one's awake in the compartment, which suited Eva just fine.

Just approaching noon, Naruto jolted awake. He felt heavier, and tired. At the same time, Eva swore as she felt the curse begin affecting her again.

That reminded him, the barrier! "Chibi-chan, could you tell me about your curse?" he asked.

"Why the hell should I tell you!?"

"Because, I think it might-" he began before cutting himself off.

From what he remembered, she had been sealed here for 15 years, and Naruto knew that he would need more information on why that was, and if she was ready to be released. Negi's father must have had a reason, after all. He needed to talk to the headmaster.

"Never mind," he told her, "it doesn't matter."

As soon as they could, after the girls had been sorted, Negi and Naruto made their way to the Headmasters office to report in.

Negi went first, telling him about what happened, while Naruto went next, delivering a much shorter and to the point report. Here it is: "We got attacked, the kid did good. I had to help a couple of times, but it couldn't be helped. We ended up kicking ass."

"Thank you Negi-kun, Naruto-kun, that will be all." When Naruto didn't move, Negi hesitated. "Is there anything else?"

"Yeah," Naruto answered, "I want to you to tell me about Eva's curse."

"Why do you want to know?"

"I think it might be affecting me."

"Wha?" Negi gasped.

Intrigued, the headmaster asked, "How so?"

"My ability to recover chakra is slow, it moves sluggishly in my body. I heal fast, even from total exhaustion it should take only a day, maybe two for me to make a full recovery. Even if that advantage is taken from me, seven days is the average time it takes for the body to make an almost complete recovery. My projected time for recovery right now, even if I don't use chakra, is months away. The only time I felt _right_ was when the seal on Eva was released. I hadn't even noticed until then that my chakra had been sluggish in my body. I want to know everything about it, so I can find out if it really is the thing affecting me, and if so, how to destroy it."

"If you do that, Evangeline will be released."

"I know. That is why I wanted to talk to you first. Do you think she is ready to be free? I only heard a part of the story from that Eishun guy, so I wanted to ask for your opinion, and your help. Negi's too."

"What do you think, Negi-kun?"

"I promised her that I'd lift the curse, so I'm all for it."

"I'm still not convinced; however, if the both of you agree on this, then I have no choice. Nagi always did intend to free her one day anyway, and who better than he to decide that than his son. But, if you do find a way to free yourself without releasing her, use that method, and if along the way you do discover a method to free her, you will tell only me. In any case, you will report to me before you do _anything_. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir!"

"Yeah, I got you old man."

"Good. I will give you the documents you want, Naruto-kun, but in exchange, I want that written report, a proper one this time. Once you have handed that to me, the information is yours."

"Sure," he sighed.

They left the office in silence, before Naruto said, "I'll need your help you know. I don't understand magic at all, so if we're really going to do this, I'll need you. I can rely on you, right?"

"Yep, I'll help however I can. I'm just glad someone else feels the same about Eva-san."

"Yeah, so do I kid, so do I," Naruto told him, ruffling his hair affectionately. With that they parted, smiling.

* * *

Authors notes.

Ahh, the end of the Kyoto arc, finally.

I had a bit of trouble with some scenes in this chapter, having to cut and change them. Oh well, it's all good as one of them naturally let me write the Group 2 scenes.

I'm also pleasantly surprised to say that someone has correctly guessed why the demons are afraid of Naruto. Well, they had the right idea. When it is revealed, I'll tell you who got it right.

Okay, next is the training, then demon arcs. By the way, it is during that arc, the above will be revealed.


	14. Apprenticeship Test

Naruto awoke to shouting the next morning. He'd finally had a chance to catch upon all that sleep he'd missed out on. Grumbling, he quickly got up and dressed. Going into the living room, he noticed that most of the noise was coming from upstairs, Eva's room. Ascending the stairs, the indistinct shouting became recognisable as words.

"-rn how to fight, go ask Takamichi!" Chibi-chan was shouting.

"Even knowing that, I still came to you today. I saw for myself at Kyoto, the only person I should learn magical combat from is you!"

That got her attention. "Ho… so you were moved by how strong I was, huh?"

"Yes!" he honestly replied.

"Oi! What's with all the noise? Some of us are still trying to sleep."

"Its 1pm,"Asuna deadpanned.

"Not like you were much better," Chamo muttered.

"What was that?" Asuna growled.

"Nothing!" the poor ermine squeaked.

Meanwhile, Negi and Eva had ignored Naruto's entrance and question. "Well, if you insist," Eva was saying. "However, in case you have forgotten boy, I happen to be an evil mage. When you want something from an evil mage, you have to do something in return. Kukuku" she laughed. Sticking her bare foot into the air, she ordered, "First, lick my feet. Then, we'll discuss you swearing yourself to be my devoted slave."

Distracted by Naruto, Asuna didn't notice Negi as he protested, before finally giving in. His tongue was just inches from the bottom of Eva's foot when she noticed where Naruto's attention lay. Snapping around, she spotted the display, and with her artefact smacked Eva out of her bed, shouting "You idiot!" Standing over Eva and between her and Negi, she continued her rant. "What do you think you're making a child do!?"

"Dammit Kagurazaki Asuna! I'm weaker than usual at the moment, but you just completely ignored my Shinsou-level magical barrier!" Eva yelled back, but she was ignored.

"And you!" she shouted, rounding on Naruto. "Why didn't you do anything to stop her, I know you saw what was happening!"

"I just thought it was a Master-Apprentice thing. I had to do something just as bad to get Ero-Sennin to train me," he shrugged.

"Wha… No, never mind that." Again she turned her attention to Eva. "Don't you think that was a bit over the top? Negi-kun is begging you!"

"If everything could be solved by begging, we'd have world peace by now!" Eva shouted back, still rubbing her cheek. Calming down some, she smirked. She could smell something very interesting in the air. "More importantly, why are you willing to go so far for him anyway? Could it be, you've fallen in love with a 10 year old brat?"

"Wha..?" Asuna gasped, blushing deeply. "N-n-n-n-n-no! Negi's just a kid!"

"Hahaha, why are you turning red? That's so cute!"

"N-no, I'm just-"

"You're just getting angry and denying it now. Hahahaha, bulls-eye!" she continued to cackle.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Asuna shouted, using her fan to once again smack Eva. From there the argument degraded into a more physical scuffle, one which Negi watched with tears in his eyes, Chachazero was cheering on, and Chachamaru was stoically watching.

Chachamaru was distracted when Naruto asked, "Can we record this or something?"

"Yes. Now recording."

"What? How?"

"I have in built cameras in my eyes."

"Wait, what?"

"I am a robot." She explained.

"And that is?"

"An artificial entity made from inorganic materials."

"Oh, okay." Naruto replied, still slightly confused.

"Why do you wish me to record this anyway?" she asked.

"Blackmail."

Finally, Negi moved to break the fight apart like a good teacher. Once the panting girls were apart, Eva finally agreed to teach him. "But, you'll be tested first. If you pass a test next Saturday, you can be my apprentice."

"Thank you!" he bowed in gratitude.

Naruto walked them downstairs to the door, but before they were through, Negi called for his attention. "Naruto-nii-san!"

"Huh, what?"

"Will you train me in martial arts?"

"No," he immediately rejected.

"What, but why not?"

"Ah, how do I say this? My fighting style, if you can call it that," he snorted, "was designed to be as unpredictable as possible. You don't think, just react. It is not something I can teach, only beat into you, which would take time. Besides, I don't think it would suit you anyway. You'd be better looking for someone else. Though if its physical conditioning you want, I can help with that, but that's all. Unless you want to drop the Mage thing entirely and become a ninja," he joked, "you're on the borderline, but you're still young enough to be taught."

"No thanks" Negi quickly responded.

"I was only joking," he told him. "Why do you want to learn anyway?"

"I realized on the trip, there are some very strong people out there, and I need to get stronger, to protect my students." That brought a smile to Naruto's face.

"If that's how you truly feel, let me tell you something good. 'When you have something truly precious to protect, only then can you become truly strong.'" He quoted. "Someone told me that a very long time ago, and they were right. Do you understand what I mean when I say that?"

"I think so…" he replied somewhat hesitantly.

"You'll understand one day." He told him, just before they left.

"We're going to be running some errands, do you want to come?" Negi invited, which Asuna was distressed to find herself annoyed with.

"No, I've got that report to do, and then we can get started on that project."

"Alright," Negi smiled. "Let's go Asuna-san."

"What project?" she asked as they left.

"It's a secret," Negi told her, grinning.

Moments after they were gone, Eva herself descended the stairs. "Well, that was amusing."

"Yep. Hey, Chibi-chan, you don't really think Asuna loves Negi like that, do you?"

"Why, jealous?"

"No! It's just… never mind." He finished with a sigh.

"In answer to your question, I don't know. But, right now at least, she is under the effect of a love potion. I could smell it."

"But, she wasn't acting too much different than normal."

"Exactly," she smirked.

"Oh well, never mind that now, we should follow them."

"Why, you're not going to tell them, are you?"

"Of course not! This is just perfect black-mail material. Cha-chan, let's go!"

"I cannot."

"What, why?"

"Master is not well, and do you not have work to do?"

"Fine," he sulked.

"Uzumaki," Eva called.

"Okay, seriously, call me Onii-chan or at least Naruto. It's just weird being called that."

"Fine, Naruto. Before, you didn't stop me from getting Negi to lick my feet, and you said you had to do something similar. What was it?"

"Oh, I just had to transform myself into a beautiful teenage girl and seduce him. I was 12 at the time, and he was 50. Ah, good times," he sighed.

"Wha!?"

"See ya Chibi-chan, I've got work to do." He said as he retreated to his room.

As soon as the door was closed, he had to stifle the laughter. The look on Chibi-chan's face had been priceless. Her eyes had opened wide and her jaw had dropped, it was hilarious. Naruto hoped Chachamaru had recorded that too.

The rest of that day was spent working on that damn report. It was pure torture to Naruto's soul. Only foolish Kage's should have to deal with paper work. It would have been the first thing to go when Naruto became Hokage. After all, what kind of ninja _wrote down_ what they'd just done? That, or just make his clones do it. But to be forced to do it himself, there would be pay back at this indignity. Naruto may not have believed in revenge, but pranking was a different matter entirely.

* * *

The next few days passed mostly uneventfully, with Naruto either working on his report, or more often, eating, training or just plain exploring the campus, plus occasionally sneaking into the girl's dormitory baths. For most of the day, there was no Chibi-chan to bug, or Negi to visit, not unless he was willing to disturb his classes, and Naruto had a feeling that Negi would not be pleased about that, so he just killed time by himself.

Wednesday afternoon was when he finally found a distraction in the form of Negi. Naruto had just been on the way to get some food when he spotted Negi near the hated World Tree, practicing kata's of a style that looked vaguely familiar. With him was Kuu Fei, who was correcting his stances and instructing him on how he should move. It looked like they were just finishing when Naruto greeted them.

"Yo!"

"Naruto-nii-san!" Negi smiled.

"Naruto-sensei! Perfect timing-aru."

"Oh, why?"

"We had just finished, but I think Negi-bouzu seeing a display would help-aru."

"Er, what do you mean?"

"Sensei still owes me a spar-aru." She told him simply. "Don't tell me you forget?" she mock glared.

"No, no, just busy. Can it wait though; I was just about to eat? Do you two want to come? My treat." He offered.

"Okay!" Negi instantly agreed. Kuu was more hesitant, but she was willing to wait for her spar, especially if it meant food.

They both followed Naruto as he led them to Chao Boa Zi. "Hey Chao-chan, Satsuki-chan!" Naruto greeted.

"Hello Naruto-kun," Chao responded. "Oh, Negi-sensei and Kuu-chan too." She smiled.

"Good afternoon, Negi-sensei, Naruto-sensei, Kuu-chan," Satsuki greeted them back. "What can we get you?"

"Oh, I'll just have a miso ramen and a chicken ramen." He told them, before sitting down nearby, Negi and Kuu Fei joining him after they ordered. "So, how long have you two been training together?" Naruto asked as they waited.

"Today was only our second day-aru. Negi-bouzu very quick learner." She complimented.

"That's good," he said while giving a small smile. "I'm glad you found a teacher so quickly." He said to Negi. "What made you choose Kuu Fei as your teacher, anyway?"

"I saw her getting attacked by loads of strong people, and she defeated them in an instant. It was amazing!" he gushed.

Surprised, Naruto asked, "Does that happen often?"

"About once every week; very good practice-aru. Both for me and for them."

"Fair enough," he shrugged.

"After that I asked her to teach me, and she agreed."

"So far he's been excellent student." Kuu added.

"That's good. My offer is still open by the way." Naruto reminded him.

"Offer?"

"I said I could help you with physical conditioning, didn't I? All you have to do would be keep up with me during my morning exercise."

"What do you do?"

"Oh, just a light workout, 100 push ups and 100 sit ups, then twice round campus, that kind of thing."

Negi wasn't sure but that sounded like quite a lot. Kuu Fei wasn't reacting like it was though, so he couldn't be sure.

"That's good aru."

"Yeah, I suppose, but I'm thinking of increasing the work load; wear weights, that kind of thing, y'know?"

She nodded her head in agreement.

"So, what do you say, Negi, you in?"

"I-I'm not sure," he told them.

"I don't think it good idea yet; Negi-bouzu needs to focus on basics and forms right now."

"If you say so," Naruto agreed as their food arrived. He wasn't an expert in Tai-Jutsu, so he wasn't exactly going to argue.

They ate in relative silence after that, enjoying their meal (in Naruto's case two meals).

As they were leaving, two of Negi's students appeared, each from different directions. It was Kaede and Mana. Each one spotted them at the exact same moment, or more specifically Naruto. They had been keeping an eye out for the blond teen since the end of the school trip. When Negi had explained to them that he was a Mage, and that was why he had needed their help over the trip, and that they needed to keep it a secret lest Negi be transformed into an ermine, they had all, Kuu Fei included, asked more about Naruto. Negi had been hesitant, but let slip that he was a ninja.

That had Kaede instantly curious; she hadn't met many ninja outside of her family. His being a ninja didn't interest Mana quite as much, she was more interested in learning about his past on the battlefield, as it was obvious to her now that he really was a soldier, and she would love to meet someone else who had experienced something similar to her. Kuu hadn't cared at all; she just wanted someone strong to fight against.

"Hey girls!" Naruto and Negi greeted.

"Negi-sensei, Naruto-sensei, Kuu Fei," Mana nodded to each in turn.

"Negi-bouzu, Naruto-sensei, Kuu Fei," Kaede greeted similarly.

"What are you guys up to?" Naruto asked.

"Not much," both admitted.

"Then you have good timing-aru. Me and Sensei were just about to spar," she told them. Kuu wasn't stupid, she knew her more fight loving friends were curious about Naruto, that was why she had texted them. This was a perfect time to see him in action.

What Kuu didn't expect was interest from another party. "Oh, Kuu, you're going to be fighting Naruto-kun? Can I watch-ne?" Chao asked.

"Huh, that's unlike you-aru. You don't usually like watching me fight." Which was true. Chao, a fighter herself, though no where nearly as dedicated to the practice as Kuu, hardly ever went out of her way to watch Kuu fight. At least not anymore, though maybe that was because she hadn't had any new opponents in a while.

"Well, I was just curious, but if it's a problem…"

"No, no; no problem-aru. At least not if Sensei doesn't mind."

"It's fine with me."

"I'll also be coming to watch." Mana informed them.

"Well now, I can't be the only one left out-de gozaru." Kaede added.

"To the World Tree!" Kuu called, and with a small sigh from Naruto they were on their way.

It didn't take long to get there, and when they arrived Kuu immediately assumed a Tai-Jutsu stance. Naruto mimicked her, assuming his own loose form.

She was practically bubbling where she stood, having been looking forward to this for days. In contrast, Naruto looked bored at the whole thing. Annoyed at that, Kuu struck first.

She was quick, very quick, and was instantly in his guard. He had only just managed to deflect that strike when he was hit by the follow up blow. Again she attacked, but this time Naruto was ready, and he managed to block or dodge her attacks. Her form was flaw less, and Naruto couldn't see a single opening. He would just have to make one, he decided. He struck then, but she easily grabbed his extended arm, dragging him into a series of combo blows to his mid-section that sent him flying back.

Once he had recovered, Naruto attacked; Kuu didn't let a single blow past her guard, and even managed to land a few counter attacks. Finally, he broke through, landing a solid blow to her solar-plexus, causing her to involuntarily double up. He followed up with a string of punches, sending her up a little higher into the air each time. He tried to finish with a kick to her face, but she somehow managed to catch his foot. Before she had a chance to let go, he struck with his other foot and with a hand-standed spin he sent her flying.

She recovered in mid-air and managed to land on her feet with little trouble. With a cough and a smirk, she resumed her stance and attacked. As the battle continued, Naruto noticed two things. The first was the style, eerily similar to Fate's_. 'No wonder Negi wanted her to teach him'_, he thought. The second thing he noticed was the smile he could feel growing on his face; the longer the spar went on, the bigger it got. He'd almost forgotten how fun it was just to spar with someone, with or without the use of Chakra.

As the fight continued, it became obvious who was better at hand-to-hand combat, with Kuu dominating the match. For every blow Naruto managed to land, Kuu dealt three more right back. Finally, after 20 minutes of this, Naruto finally called a halt.

"I give," he laughed. "You win."

Frowning, she replied, "But we're not done yet. You haven't gone all out."

"Is that really what you want?"

Nodding her head, she agreed.

"Alright then, for fifteen seconds I'll use Chakra. Can one of you time it for me?" he asked Negi and the girls.

After a few second of fiddling, Negi was prepared. "You ready?" he asked Kuu Fei.

"Bring it-aru."

"Alright then, GO!" he shouted. Suddenly he was gone from Kuu Fei's vision, and she only just managed to stop his first punch by intuition alone. She wasn't so lucky on his follow up, which sent her high into the air. Then suddenly he was above her, pushing her down with a kick, even as he jumped higher. Coming down, he somersaulted in the air, and Kuu just barely managed to roll out of the way of his spinning axe kick as he landed.

Kuu rolled to her feet, re-assuming her stance, and struck, getting in close and doing her best to stay there. Unfortunately Naruto was faster, and he delivered a strong punch to her chest, throwing her back.

"Time?"

"5 seconds left," Negi replied, awed. He hadn't even been able to see Naruto move, and he'd only just been able to make Kuu Fei as a blur.

Then Naruto was on the attack again, only this time, Kuu Fei was ready. She could see his movements now, if only just, and with the right timing, '_there',_ she thought as she ducked, Naruto's lunge going right over her head. She struck then, one solid blow to his chest, then following it with another, and another, forcing him to quickly backpedal.

"Time!" Negi told them.

Both Naruto and Kuu were smiling as they called an end to the sparring session, receiving a splattering of applause from their audience.

"Good fight-aru!"

"Yeah it was. We should do it again sometime!" Naruto laughed back.

"Yep, you were an excellent opponent-aru." Then she turned to Negi. "So, Negi-bouzu, did you learn anything?"

"Not really," he admitted.

"That's fine. You're still new at this, so you can't be expected to notice these things." Naruto stated. "Hopefully when you have more experience you'll be able to understand more. What you should, would have noticed is that Kuu has more skill in hand-to-hand,-"

"But Naruto-sensei is a little bit faster and hits harder." Kuu cut in.

"That just goes to show how useful skill in Tai-Jutsu really is." Naruto finished.

"Tai-Jutsu?"

"Sorry, martial arts." He corrected.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mana and Kaede were off to one side.

"What do you think?" Kaede was the first to ask.

"He did well to keep up with Kuu Fei, but I expected more."

"True. He was rather impressive at the end though," she added.

"Agreed. Did you notice?" Mana asked.

"You mean Kuu?"

"Yes. For just a second, she was glowing. She's learned to use Chi."

"I'm not sure; I think it was just natural."

"As expected of Captain Kuu Fei, when she really needs to, she steps up." Mana commentated.

"You don't suppose he was still holding back, do you?"

"It's possible, but I think when he used that Chaka thing, that was his true power."

"Well, we've seen him in close combat, but…"

"We still haven't seen his ninja techniques," Kaede finished.

"Exactly."

* * *

Back with Naruto and Negi, they were seeing Kuu Fei off as she headed back to her dorm room. Chao was already on the way back to her restaurant, unnoticed, a small smile on her face. She had always wanted to see Naruto in action, and now her wish had been fulfilled. It was a pity she couldn't involve herself anymore, but she had to back off for now. After all, it wouldn't do for her to reveal her knowledge of magic just yet.

"Your test is in what, 3 days? Feeling confident?" Naruto asked.

"Not really; Eva-san hasn't told me what I have to do yet."

"You should ask her tomorrow. It's always better to try to be prepared."

"I'll do that," he assured. "Are you going to be there when I'm tested?"

"Of course, even if I have to bully Chibi-chan into it." he said with a reassuring smile.

"Thank you" he said. Then Negi had to ruin the moment by asking "Have you finished that report yet?"

"Erm, not yet," Naruto admitted. "I'm almost done though."

"That's good. What are you doing now?

"Not much, I was just about to head back to Chibi-chan's place. What about you?"

"I think I'm going to train for a little bit longer, then head back home. I've got to prepare my lesson plan."

"Riiiight. Sometimes I forget you're a teacher. I'll see you another time then, later," Naruto said as he set off.

With that, Negi was left alone to practice. Unnoticed, Mana and Kaede had slipped away.

Five minutes later, Naruto stopped in the middle of the deserted path. "Can I help you girls with something?" he asked.

"Hoe, so you noticed us," Kaede said as she stepped out of the shadows, followed soon after by Mana, who came out from the other side of the path.

"Of course, you can't hide from me that easily you know," he smiled. "So, I take it there is a reason you were following me?"

"We were just curious about a few things, and were hoping you could enlighten us."

"Such as?"

"About yourself," Kaede continued.

"Aright, I'll make the same deal as I made with Eva-chan. You get three questions only. Since you came together, I assume you're working with each other; otherwise you would get three each. As it stands, you get three altogether."

"WHAT!" Mana shouted, losing her cool. "I am not working with her, we just happened to arrive at the same time!"

"We're not working together-de gozaru!" Kaede insisted.

Shaking his head, he replied, "I don't care, three questions only. One each, then a joint question. I'll make it fair, and tell you what I already told Eva-chan. I'm from Konoha, and I'm a ninja," he told them simply.

"We'd already heard that from Negi-sensei," Mana informed him. "Wait, that was only two things, what was the third?"

"The answer to that question doesn't concern you."

"That doesn't matter, you should tell us anyway," Mana insisted.

"Fine, the third answer was, 'Why wouldn't I?' If you want the question, ask Eva-chan. Now, I think it's time for you're questions. Kaede can go first."

"What ninja clan are you from?"

"Me, I'm not from a clan. What I said when I introduced myself in front of the class was mostly true. I'm an orphan, I raised myself."

"But then who taught you the ninja arts?" she asked.

"Sorry, you've had your question. It's Mana's turn. Go ahead, Mana, what's your question?"

"How long have you been a soldier?"

"Since I was twelve. It was just the way things were done where I'm from. They train you in the ninja arts from the age of six, sometimes even younger, and when you're good enough to pass the test, they certify you as a Genin, and send you out to do missions. Alright then, last question. You two should decide on this between yourselves," he suggested.

They did just that, albeit grudgingly. After much whispered arguing, they finally asked, "How do we learn more about you?" A smart question, seeing as they couldn't decide whose second question was more important.

"That's easy, you'll just learn as time goes by. I'm not intentionally holding back, not really. You can't just expect me to tell you my whole life story from the get go, do you? We'll just have to learn about each other over time. Now, I really do have to go back, I have work to do. Plus, if I'm lucky, I might be able to convince Eva to lift the ban on Cha-chan cooking for me. That spar made me hungry all over again."

"Um, do you think I could spar with you sometime?" Kaede asked.

"Sure!" Naruto answered with a smile. "What about you, Mana-chan, do you want to spar as well?"

"No, thank you. I have other ways of keeping my skills sharp."

"Fair enough," Naruto shrugged. "I'll see you girls later."

"Well, that was interesting-de gozaru." Kaede said after he'd left.

"Not as informative as I would like, but at least I learned something." Mana sighed.

* * *

That night, Naruto found Chachamaru folding clothes and Eva reading in her room. After helping Cha-chan, he when up stairs to talk to Chibi-chan.

When she saw him, she grimaced. "What do you want?"

"Nothing really, just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I am fine."

"Good, good" he muttered. "So, what're you reading?"

Smirking, she answered. "Icha Icha Paradise."

"What! How the hell did you get that?"

"It was delivered here by Takamichi last night, while you were on one of your walks. It looked interesting, so I decided to have a look for myself. I must say, it's quite good. It had already mentioned a little about Chakra, and its uses. Tell me; is it true you can use it to extend your tongue?"

Blushing, Naruto stammered, "Y-y-yeah," while the voice of Jiraiya gently coxed his mind onto thoughts of Anko.

"And really, a whole family of people with x-ray vision and the ability to paralyse with a touch. It that true too?" she asked in a voice just made to send the imagination into the most perverse corners of the mind.

Naruto could feel the heat coming from his face as his blush deepened, stammering out another yes in reply, the voice of Jiraiya reminding him of Hinata, and how it's entirely possible she may have spied on him in the bath, or even just looked through his clothes at any time she wanted.

"And those illusions, are they possible too?"

"Yes!" Naruto shouted as he bolted down the stairs, unwilling to hear anymore, leaving behind a cackling Eva. After she had calmed down, she picked the book up once again and continued to read. Who knows what else she was in this book that she could use to tease Naruto with. Besides that, it also gave her a little insight to his culture. _'The sex-scenes aren't bad either'_ she thought with a blush.

After Naruto had finally calmed down, he decided that he should try and finish that report in order to take his mind off what he'd just heard. Taking out the report, he looked over what he'd written so far. It read as such:

_Day 1: Frogs appeared. Got angry and dealt with them._

_Night 1: Attempt to kidnap Konoka took place. Watched as Negi, Asuna and Setsuna-_

That was it. That was all he had accomplished in the four days he'd been working on the report. _'I hate paper work'_ he thought with a scowl, before finally sitting down and starting over.

He needed to make this a proper and detailed report of what he'd seen and done during the trip, and his assessment of how well Negi had handled the situation. He'd managed to get up to the day trip to cinema village by the time he decided to call it a night.

* * *

The next morning he was woken up when a grumbling Eva returned home, wearing a white frilly dress, Chachamaru in tow, Chachazero sitting on her head.

"What's with you?" he asked.

"I wasn't jealous!" she shouted back at him.

"I never said you were," he responded, completely confused.

"Good, because I'm not!" she yelled again, before storming back to her room. She sounded like a child throwing a tantrum.

"What. Was. That?" Naruto asked Chachamaru.

"Master just found out that Negi-sensei is receiving Kung Fu instruction, and is annoyed that he already has a teacher."

"Why?"

"I am unsure, but I believe she wants all of Negi-sensei's attention to be on herself, and her teachings. Another instructor would prove counter productive."

"Okaaay." Naruto responded, still unsure.

"If you will excuse me, I need to prepare for school." She said before bowing and leaving.

Soon after, they were both gone, leaving Naruto alone in the house. Well, almost alone.

"Hey Naruto-sama!" Chachazero called from the couch, where Chachamaru had left her.

"Oh, hey Zero-chan. I didn't se you there. Why aren't you with Chibi-chan and Cha-chan, don't you usually go to school with them?"

"Nope, I usually stay here all day, by myself. I'm usually left in Master's bedroom though." She told him.

"Oh. Oh! I'm sorry I didn't realise, otherwise I would have taken you out with me."

"Out?"

"Yeah, I've been exploring the campus in my free time," Naruto explained. Of course, he actually meant, 'I've been exploring the campus as I ditched the paper work,' but that's neither here nor there. Besides, it's better than drinking so much you can't see the paper, even as you sit right in front of it, like a certain someone.

"Are you going exploring again today?" she asked

"Not today, no. I've got some work to finish; I've kinda been neglecting it."

"Oh," she sighed.

Scooping her up into his arms, Naruto carried her into his own room and placed her on the futon. I would like to take this moment to remind you that Chachazero is a puppet, two-foot tall tops. If you are wondering why I mentioned this fact, you are not dirty minded enough. "Come on, you can keep me company while I work." Naruto told her.

Blushing, she did just that. They talked about Eva, Chachamaru, and how she hated to be left behind by them. She talked about some of Eva's other puppets, and her relationship with them.

"Chachako always was kind of bossy," she was saying, "she thought that just because she was the biggest, and able to contain the most magical power, she was in charge whenever the Master didn't need us. She thought she was the favourite. I actually miss her a little" she commented, before whispering "then again, that doesn't mean I regret cutting her in half when the Master wasn't looking." She continued at a normal volume by saying, "When she was damaged, Master didn't repair her, we had to move on." Smiling, she chirped, "Master never left me behind, even when it was dangerous to come and get me, and she always made time to keep me in my best condition!"

"You really love Chibi-chan, don't you?" he asked.

"Love? I'm not really sure, I'm only a puppet." She easily responded.

"That doesn't mean anything. Sounds like you love her to me." Turning thoughtful for a second he mused. "You said she made you, right?"

"Yep!"

"Then doesn't that make her your mother?"

"I suppose…"

"I know, when she gets home you should tell her how you feel and call her mum. I bet she would love that."

"You really think so?"

"Well, she may not admit it, but I honestly think it would make her happy." He admitted.

"Alright, I'll do it!"

"Good girl," he responded, giving her an affectionate pat on the head, causing magical, and for some reason red, particles to rise to her face, imitating a blush.

With that said, Naruto returned to work, even as he told Zero all about Kankuro and his puppets. "Just simple wooden puppets at first glance, but filled to the brim with deadly poisons and weapons." With a shiver, Naruto said, "I'd have hated to fight him. And the noise they made as they moved really could send a chill down your spine." With a seal, he began to imitate the noise, _ckckck,_ like wood tapping together. "Now, try and imagine that noise, getting closer and closer, but you don't know where from. Then suddenly, it strikes. But you were prepared" he continued softly, "and managed to dodge, SNAP, only to fall victim to the other puppet, the one you didn't hear. Instant death."

"Was there blood?"

"Er, yeah, I think I remember seeing some dribble out. Why?"

"No reason." She innocently replied.

"That was only Kankuro. There were other puppeteers, some a lot more skilful than he. Sakura-chan once told me how Chiyo-baa-chan could control 10 puppets at once, one with each finger," he told her, wiggling his own for emphasis. "But that was nothing compared to Sasori, a member of Akatsuki, and one of my enemies. I never fought him myself, but Sakura-chan told me he could control 100 puppets at once, even while he himself was a puppet."

"He was?"

"Yeah, he turned himself into a puppet. The only thing human he had left was his heart."

"What happened to him?" she asked.

"He was killed by puppets fashioned in the likeness of his parents, controlled by his grandmother."

"So cool," Chachazero gushed.

"Erm, I don't think you quite understood what happened."

Suddenly there was a rumbling that rocked the entire room.

"Er, I think it's time to eat." Naruto laughed. He had made a little progress on his report, and was up to the part where he had Fate chase him into the forest.

Stepping out of his room, Naruto checked the time. It was approximately 2 o'clock. "Hey, Zero-chan, what time do Chibi-chan and Cha-chan usually get back from school? About half past three, right?"

"I think so," the puppet replied.

"Hmm," Naruto hummed as he thought. "Hey Zero-chan, what's Chibi-chan's favourite meal?"

"Blood." Zero answered simply.

Sighing, Naruto corrected himself. "Apart from that."

"Erm, I think she once mentioned she liked haggis," the doll hazarded.

"What's haggis?"

"Sheep heart, liver ad lungs, minced up with other stuff, all boiled in the sheep's stomach!" she cheerfully told him.

"Er, I don't think I can make that," he told her, to Zero's annoyance. She wanted to watch him slaughter a sheep.

"Anything else she particularly likes?"

"Rabbit stew, maybe," the doll muttered miserably. No one ever wanted to eat rabbit anymore, saying they were too cute to kill.

"That, I can do." He old her, shocking her. "Just give me a minute while I grab some weapons. We're going hunting," he told her with a grin.

* * *

An hour and a half later, Eva arrived home to the most wonderful smell, closely followed by Chachamaru, who was curious about the strange readings from her nasal sensors.

Stepping into the cottage, they found Naruto working in the kitchen, Chachazero sitting nearby. "What is that delicious smell?" Eva asked. It was making her mouth water just going near it.

"Ah, Chibi-chan's home! Zero-chan, do what we talked about!" Naruto said as he stepped away from the pot he was hovering over. Picking up Zero, he brought her over to Eva and placed her into her arms.

"Mummy, I love you," Zero shyly said as she struggled to lift her arms and give her mother a hug.

Flushing a brilliant red, Eva was rendered speechless.

Nearby, a cheerful Naruto continued to work.

Her mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out. Eventually, she just gently put Zero on Chachamaru's head, and ran to her room.

"Aw," Naruto cooed. "I didn't think she would be _that_ embarrassed."

"Did I say something bad?" Zero asked.

"No, not at all. She was quite happy to hear that actually, wasn't she Cha-chan?"

"Indeed," the robotic girl answered. "What are you making?" she asked after a moment had passed in silence.

"Rabbit stew. Zero-chan here told me that Chibi-chan liked it, so I decided to make some. I hope you don't mind?"

Blinking, she asked, "Why would I mind?"

"Oh, I just thought me stealing your job might irritate you, that's all." He shrugged. "In fact, I could really use your help, if that's okay?"

"Certainly. What would you like me to do?"

After that, Chachamaru helped Naruto prepare the meal. When they were almost done, she noticed two glasses. One was already full, while the other was empty. "What beverage is master being served?" she asked.

"Well, you did say she was a vampire, right? So I thought she'd want blood. Or was I wrong?"

"No, blood would be acceptable. I shall go get some from storage."

"Ah, no need. I thought fresh blood would be better, so I'm giving her some of mine."

"What?" Chachamaru gasped, incredibly shocked. No one had ever volunteered blood for the Master before. She had to ask, "Why are you doing all this?"

"All what?"

"This," she repeated, gesturing to the food and the glass.

"Oh, well. To be honest, this is a thank you. She really did help me and Negi out on the fieldtrip. You too," he added. "I really wanted to show my appreciation to her and to you, so I decided to cook her dinner. I haven't decided what to do for you yet, and Zero-chan has already got her reward."

"I have?" Zero asked.

"Yeah, you got to watch me kill and skin those rabbits."

"I see," Chachamaru replied, feeling a strange sensation in her core. Perhaps she should have that checked out.

"Thank you Naruto."

"Your welcome," he smiled back. "Now then, I think it's time we fed dear little mum." The stew had been served and placed on two separate trays; all that was remaining was Eva's drink. "Could you get a bandage for me?" he asked.

While Chachamaru fulfilled his request, he grabbed a kunai and made a seal, channelling a little bit of demon chakra to his arm. With a breath he cut his arm, letting it bleed into the glass. Once it was more or less full, he wrapped his arm in the bandage Chachamaru handed to him, confident the wound would be none existent by the end of the day. The bleeding had already stopped and the wound closed by the time he had carried Eva's meal to her bedroom up the stairs.

At the foot of the stair, Naruto stopped and said, "Keep the blood thing a secret, okay?"

"Yes Naruto."

"Sure thing Naruto-sama!"

* * *

In her room, Eva was mulling over what Zero had said to her, shocked at both being called a mother, and her oldest doll and most sadistic doll telling her she loved her. It was difficult to think however; her own embarrassment stopping some trains of thought, such as the warm feeliing that it produced, while the heavenly smell drifting from downstairs derailed the rest.

It was too early for dinner, but damn if the smell wasn't making her hungry anyway. Eventually, she heard footsteps on the stairs. She was greeted by blond hair and the most beautiful sight in the world, the source of that gorgeous smell.

"Here you go," Naruto smiled as he handed over her food, seating himself with his own tray of food on his lap.

He watched as Eva slowly took a bite of the stew, took a moment to savour it, and then squealed in delight at the taste, causing Naruto to chuckle. She then wolfed down most of the stew at a lightning pace.

"Good?"

Eva nodded her head. "I haven't had rabbit in a very long time; I forgot how much I loved it."

"Good, I made it especially for you. Zero told me that you liked it."

"Why would you do that?" she asked as she took a sip of blood.

"Well, I-" Naruto began, before noticing that she wasn't paying attention anymore. Her eyes were glazed over, and she was blushing as she licked her lips. Taking another gulp of blood, she moaned in pleasure.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she breathlessly replied. "Just leave me be for now."

"Alright," he agreed, taking his leave. "Enjoy the rest of your meal."

As he descended the stairs, Eva was already out of it, sighing as she took small sips of blood, the stew completely forgotten.

Finishing her glass, she slipped off to a very relaxing sleep, her last thought before blissful dreams being, '_Springfield blood really is the best.'_

* * *

Downstairs, Naruto finished his own meal. "Alright, time to finish that report!" That night, he did finish the report, plus a little something extra. The next morning, he woke up with his arm completely healed, and did his usual exercises. During the run, he caught sight of Negi and, was that Makie? Anyway, he caught sight of them both hanging upside down while Kuu Fei pelted them with wooden blocks. Shaking his head, he carried on.

Once he returned to the cottage, he grabbed his report, taking care not to forget Chachazero who was otherwise left alone, and headed to the headmaster's office.

Konoe Konoemon was relaxing in his office. He had little to no work to do today, so he was spending his time reading. It was a most amazing book, written by a true genius, giving in sight into age old cultures and traditions.

"Hey Old Man!" Naruto greeted, suddenly appearing in the headmasters office, startling the poor old man.

"Ah, Naruto-kun," he swiftly recovered. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked.

"Finished the report." Naruto stated. "Have you got the files on Eva's curse?"

"Yes, yes, just give me a moment." Konoe pulled some files out of his desk draw and simply handed them to Naruto.

"Thanks old man," Naruto said. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed something. The book Konoe had dropped when Naruto arrived. Picking it up with a grimace, he handed it back to the old man. "Icha Icha, I never should have reintroduced it the world."

"Hohohoho, don't be so quick to judge. This is one fine piece of literature. Which reminds me, of the 5 books you gave to me, three have been copied magically copied, and two should be published tomorrow."

"That was fast."

"Let's just say I have connections, hohohoho" he laughed. "Paradise and Tales should be hitting shelves tomorrow."

"Thanks old man," Naruto smiled, before setting off. He had to get out of there soon. Besides, he had to tell Negi the good news.

"Naruto-sama, why do you need information of Master's curse?" Zero asked.

'_Crap, I forgot she was there!'_ he thought. "Sorry, but it's a surprise."

"Master doesn't like surprise."

"Don't worry, she'll love this one. But you can't let her suspect anything, understood?"

"Hai Naruto-sama."

"You don't have to say –sama you know."

"I know, but I want to, and I won't stop."

"Fine," Naruto sighed.

When he arrived outside Negi's classroom, he couldn't help but grin. This was going to be fun.

Negi was having a strange day today. Well, not that strange, but definitely different. Makie had joined him for training that morning, and Kuu had decided to up his training in the most bizarre ways. That was fine in its self, but the thing that was really weirding him out was Eva-san.

As soon as she had stepped into the classroom, he freaked out. Instead of her usual expression of boredom and distaste, she was smiling. Not the 'I'm thinking of different ways to torment you' smile either, it was a content and happy smile. What was worse was when she would sigh and lick her lips every so often. Frankly, it scared him.

Nevertheless, he carried on his lesson anyway, refusing to let one oddly behaving student distract him.

Then he got the fright of his life and screamed like a little girl when Naruto appeared right beside him, startling his class.

This just had the unfortunate side-effect of causing Naruto to burst out laughing. Fortunately, it also had the side-effect of angering certain girls in the class. (Ayaka and Asuna, mostly). They lunged before he'd stopped laughing, catching him completely off guard, and tying him up with Makie's gymnastic ribbon.

"How dare you scare Negi-sensei like that!" Ayaka shouted.

"I'm sorry," Naruto apologized, terrified of the scary lady. That was when she noticed, the object of her ire was a little kid, even younger than Negi. He was tearing up at being told off. He was just so cute, the class president couldn't resist giving him a hug and patting him on the head, or at least as much of it as she could. There was this strange doll in the way.

The girls in the class turned their anger onto her, accusing her of making the cute little kid cry. While she was scolded by some of her peers, the more 'see cute, must hug' girls did just that, and seemingly attempted to smooth the poor boy.

Eventually, Negi managed to reign in his class. Turning to the little boy, he asked "Are you lost?"

The child cutely nodded his head.

"Alright then, I'll take you to the Headmaster's office, they should be able to help you get to where you want to go." Escorting the boy out the door, he set off for the Headmaster's office.

'_I can't believe I thought that this boy was Naruto-nii-san,' _Negi was thinking. _'He can't be more than six years old._' Except that when he turned to the kid to ask for his name, it _was_ Naruto-nii-san.

He was sweating and looked like he ran the London marathon, but it was definitely him. "Negi, Zero-chan, remind me never to do that _ever_ again. Those girls are scary when it comes to you."

Nodding his head, Negi agreed that the girls could indeed be very scary. Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, he tersely asked, "Why did you feel the need to interrupt my lesson?"

"Er…"

"Busted," Zero sang from on top of his head.

"Alright, I admit, I was bored and wanted to talk to you. But I did have a reason. I wanted to tell you that I finished that report and got the information we wanted."

"That's great!" Negi grinned.

"Sure is. Now, I've got to go before the old man gets to the back."

"Why?

"I don't want to be here, I don't know how he'll react. Actually, it may not have been the best idea in the world." With a sigh, he said, "Well to late now. See ya!"

With that he was gone, and Negi returned to his class.

* * *

Unknown to Naruto, the Headmaster had already fallen for his prank. On the back of the final sheet of paper, there was a small circle, with a sign saying 'press here'. Believing it to just be more information, Konoe followed through with the request.

This was how he found himself soaked with water that had splashed out like a wave, with a small water proofed note saying:

_I hate paper work._

A small threat to be sure, something similar would happen next time the blond teen had to do paperwork.

With a small chuckle, Konoe rose from his seat. He was wondering who he was going to assign _that_ job to. It looks like Naruto-kun had volunteered.

On the other side of the area, just as he was leaving the school district, Naruto felt a chill down his spine.

That evening, Naruto watched Negi, Makie and Asuna train under the instruction of Kuu Fei and Setsuna. Naruto would have joined them, but he had neither the drive nor the chakra to do any serious training, and while he could have sparred against Kuu, he decided that Negi needed her attention more.

With a smile on his face, Naruto returned to his room in order to study the barrier.

* * *

The next day, Naruto once again found Negi and the others working hard under the World Tree. After he finished his run that day, he joined them. Kuu was working hard on teaching Negi forms, and the best way to counter attack, while Makie worked on her routine. Setsuna and Asuna were sparring using a wooden sword and that special fan respectively. Deciding that it would be a bad idea to interrupt Negi's training, and seeing as he had no idea what Makie was doing, he made his way over to the swordswomen.

"How's she doing?" Naruto asked Setsuna, indicating Asuna, who was taking this opportunity to rest.

"Quite well," the dark haired girl answered. "She's progressing nicely; plus, her natural strength and speed are complimenting kendo perfectly."

With a small smile, Naruto asked. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not really," Setsuna responded. "Asuna still needs to learn the basics and isn't ready to handle a close range fighter like you. However, I would like to spar with you, after Asuna's instruction for the day is done."

"Sure thing!" Naruto agreed.

So, Naruto watched with Konoka as Setsuna sparred with Asuna, or watched Makie as she practised, applauding when appropriate, (Mainly for Makie).

Eventually, Asuna had to rest. During this time, Naruto stepped up to face Setsuna.

"So, why exactly did you want to face me?"

"I need practise against opponents that prefer to fight close-quarters. I would ask Kuu Fei-san, but training Negi has left little time for that."

"Alright, close-combat it is then. Hey Asuna, I would watch this if I were you." Naruto called.

Then he began his attack. Ducking under Setsuna's first slash, it left her open. He mock punched her, stopping on contact so it wouldn't deal any damage.

Backing off, Naruto let her get her bearings before saying "Again in 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 GO!" then he was on the offensive again. This time she reacted better, keeping her guard up while simultaneously attacking Naruto, forcing him to dodge, waiting for an opportunity to deal a proper blow.

Suddenly she spotted it, the perfect moment. Swinging her sword, she struck. Unfortunately she wasn't fast enough, and ended up hitting only his arm. Still, she was satisfied. Or at least she was until she noticed the dark metal glint coming from the part of the fore-arm that she struck.

Then she felt the cool metal that was pressed against her neck. Naruto had one arm held up to block the blow, while his other was reaching towards her. "Your opponent might always be hiding a weapon or two." He instructed. "Again?"

She nodded her head, and Naruto backed off, letting her assume a defensive crouch once again.

The third attempt was even better, and she held Naruto off for a full twenty minutes before he finally managed bypass her defence. The fourth time was different, in that Setsuna was the one on the attack for most of the time. A full half an hour later, Naruto managed to stop a swing of her sword by grabbing her arm, and performing a mock head-butt to end to the battle.

They called a rest after that, the same for Kuu Fei and Negi. "Okay, that's everything it for now Negi-bouzu. Everything I can teach you in this time-limit I have taught you-aru! All you can do now is leave everything to fate and the heavens. Use the remaining time to rest!"

"Yes Master Kuu!" Negi responded.

It was then that Makie's friends, Ako, Yuna and Akira. In fact, now that he thought about it, this was group 4, minus Mana.

"Hey, Negi-kun, I heard you were having some kind of match tonight!" Yuna shouted.

"I brought snack and dinner," Ako told them as she arrived.

They made their way towards the World Tree to enjoy the picnic as the three girls were told all about the test, to Naruto's frustration. He wasn't going to say anything until Akira innocently commented, "Is it just me, or is the World Tree leaning this way?" That stopped Naruto in his tracks.

"Don't be stupid," Yuna told her, "the World Tree is huge, nothing short of a ga- Huh, maybe you're right, it does seem to be leaning this way."

"Alright, that's it! I'm not taking a step closer to that evil tree!" Naruto shouted.

"Take that back!" Yuna immediately yelled back. "The World Tree isn't evil; it's a majestic and ancient tree that this school prides itself on."

"It was planted as a grave!" Naruto countered. "Nothing good could ever come from that!"

"It was?" Ako asked.

"Don't be silly, he's lying," Yuna assured her friend.

"Actually," Negi cut in, "Naruto-nii-san is correct. It was planted a grave to a great hero, who fell bringing peace to the lands."

"Eh, really?"

"Well, that's one of the theories, the one that I personally believe in."

"I think we should honour the hero, and eat by the tree." Yuna insisted.

"No. I am not taking a step closer than I have to. Please, can we just stop here?" he begged.

With a huff, Yuna agreed and they set up a picnic in that spot. As they ate, Kuu Fei explained Negi's chances. Meanwhile, Naruto had to explain to Asuna and Negi exactly why he refused to go near the tree.

"When I was up there with the twins, I noticed something. I left indents in the branch I was standing on. Where ever I go, the World Tree always looks as though it is leaning towards me. I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me at first, but when Akira noticed it too, I knew I was right."

"So, what does that mean?" Asuna asked.

"I think the World Tree wants to eat me."

Asuna tried to take him seriously, she really did, but when he said that with a perfectly straight face, she couldn't help but laugh hard and loud, catching the attention of her classmates.

"Hey, Asuna, what's so funny?" Makie asked.

"I-I-Its nothing," she managed to gasp out. "You can't be serious," she said once she finally calmed down.

"I'm completely serious," he informed her. She turned to Negi for support, expecting him to set Naruto straight, but instead she found her teacher actually considering it. "You don't actually believe it's possible, do you?"

"Well, there's a lot we don't know about the World Tree. It might want to reclaim Naruto as a source of nourishment. Plants do grow and lean toward places with the best food source. The World Tree could be doing the same."

"But isn't it a little too big for that?"

"Asuna-san, it is a giant magical tree. Who knows what it's capable of."

"Oh," Asuna finished lamely.

With that the three descended into and uncomfortable silence, which was finally broken when Asuna decided she couldn't sand it anymore. Leaning over Negi to grab some food, she noticed something disconcerting.

"Hey, Negi, aren't you kind of smelly?" Asuna noticed. "Don't tell me, you haven't been taking baths?"

"Erm…"

"EHHH!" the rest of the girls exclaimed, quickly backing off.

"No, no, just forgot to," he tried to defend himself.

I didn't work, and Asuna proceeded to drag the boy off to the nearest showers.

"Er, wouldn't it have been better to let Naruto-sensei take care of that?" Akira pointed out once Asuna was out of ear shot.

Shrugging, the girls chased after Negi and Asuna, leaving Naruto alone. With the food. Yeah, they weren't getting that back.

It was only after they returned that they realised their mistake. The next time Naruto ran into those girls there was going to be hell to pay.

* * *

Hours later, at midnight, Naruto was with Chachamaru and Evangeline, waiting for Negi to show. Chachazero had been placed on the floor nearby. "Please mummy, I can't see from down here. Can I be moved?" she asked, causing Eva to flush crimson.

"Oh, sorry about that Zero-chan, here you go," Naruto said, picking the puppet up and placing her in her favourite position, atop Naruto's head.

It took a few seconds, but Eva finally managed to find speak. "Don't call me that, you useless puppet!"

"See, I told you she likes it," Naruto told the doll. "You can see it in her eyes."

Immediately, Eva turned away from the pair, her blush returning tenfold.

"Yeah!" Zero chirped.

"You too, Cha-chan, she's your mother as well. Give it a try."

"Actually, Master wasn't the one that built me."

"She wasn't?"

"No."

"But she still had apart in it, right?"

"Yes."

"Then it still counts," Naruto declared. "Go on, give it a go."

Nodding her head, she agreed. "Are you sure this is okay, mother?"

"Don't call me that!" Eva screeched. "And you!" she rounded on Naruto. "Don't encourage them!"

"The odds of Negi-sensei being able to hit me are below 3%," Chachamaru carried on like she hadn't heard Eva's orders. "It would be insincere of you to not at least give him a chance."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for an apprentice."

"Liar," Naruto and Zero coughed.

Sparing them a quick glare, she carried on. "I'm making an exception by letting him pass if he hits you once. If the boy can't manage that then it's his own fault. Don't go easy on him, understood?"

"Yes mother." Chachamaru responded, causing Eva to twitch.

"He should be here soon," the short blonde commented.

"Actually, they've been here awhile. Ever since Cha-chan called you mother," Naruto helpfully informed her.

"I hate you." Eva said, looking down at the group gathered below, who had watched her humiliation.

"Love you too, Chibi-chan."

It took a few minutes, but Negi finally broke from his surprise. "Eva-san! Negi Springfield reporting in for his apprenticeship test!"

"Good, you came after all. Well then we'll hurry up and get started. If you can land even a single hit on Chachamaru with your Kung Fu, then you pass. The match continues until you're dead and can't attack anymore, got that?"

Meanwhile, Naruto and Zero were talking. "Chibi-chan is really building up the tension, isn't she?"

"Yep, mummy really likes drama."

"I think I'll break it," Naruto said. Forming a single quick handseal, his mission was complete.

"You're evil." Zero told him.

"Only when it comes to pranks," he countered.

Back with Eva, she had just finished explaining the rules when she noticed the laughter. The girls Negi had brought along, all the ones that had been there when they had dinner, had turned their cheering into gales of laughter and giggling.

"Why the hell are they laughing!?" Eva yelled.

"Well," Negi began, vaguely gesturing at his clothes.

Looking down at herself, Eva instantly understood why everyone was laughing at her. In bright orange paint, someone had written 'I still wear diapers' on the skirt of her otherwise pristine white dress. Turning, she glared at the one who she knew was responsible.

"How dare you!?" Eva said, chillingly quiet.

"How dare I what?" Naruto asked anyway, knowing for a fact that he was taking this too far, but for the life of him, couldn't stop. It was like pocking the Kyuubi, you knew it was going to get you, but you just couldn't help it.

"This!" she hissed gesturing down at herself.

"What are you talking about?"

"This!" she repeated.

"There's nothing there."

"Of course there is," Eva began, looking down on herself, finding her dress pure white with block frills again, no sign of the orange paint.

"See." Naruto gave a huge sigh, "Maybe you're going senile in your old age?" he suggested.

"Chachamaru, start the test. I'm going to deal with this trash," Eva growled.

"Yes mother." She responded.

"AH!" Naruto screamed, as Eva attacked in a flash, he only just barely managed to dodge. The next two blows he wasn't so lucky with, and he was sent crashing into the ground. He only just managed to roll out of the way of the next strike, one so strong that it cracked the pavement.

He quickly got to his feet, only to have to deflect another blow. Attempting to counter attack with a palm-thrust probably wasn't the best idea, seeing as with his bad position, there was next to no strength behind it. It landed on Eva's chest rather softly.

"Flat," Naruto muttered. He only realised his mistake when a flushing Eva brought attention to herself. "What. Did. You Say?"

"I-I-I'm gonna die for that, aren't I?"

"Yeah, and it is going to be slow and painful."

"Would it help if I said I was sorry?"

"No," Eva responded flatly.

"Okay. Would it help if I told you that I had video of you bugging out when Zero-chan called you mummy, you getting into a fight over Negi, and your face when I explained what I had to do to get my Master, all of which would be distributed around the school?"

"You're bluffing," she accused. Looking into his eyes, she realized something. "You're not bluffing."

"No, I'm not."

"Very well, I won't kill you. But you must promise me to destroy that video."

"Deal!" Naruto quickly agreed.

"Good," Eva said simply, before landing a strong punch to the gut. "I only promised I wouldn't kill you," she explained to his writhing form.

"Fair enough," Naruto wheezed.

Eva soon returned to watching the apprenticeship test, leaving Naruto in the dirt.

'_You deserved that._' Sakura told him.

'_You would say that,_' Naruto shot back. Sakura always hated the word flat, and Naruto and Sai had found out the hard way about using that word around her. It wasn't all the time, but she could get really cranky if anyone said that in her vicinity. Usually monthly, Naruto noticed. Huh.

"Hey, hey, I want to watch the match!" Zero insisted, pulling on Naruto's blond hair and bringing him out of his reverie. "Get up."

"Alright, alright," he agreed, struggling to sit up. When he finally managed it, he threw up off to his side. That last blow had really done a number on him. Eventually, he staggered back to Eva's side, grumbling about losing that precious blackmail material. She threw him a horrid glare before continuing to watch the match.

At the moment, Negi was still trying to get his first hit in, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

"I don't even know why I'm here," Naruto commented. "I already know who's going to win."

"Oh, and how do you know?"

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed?"

The questioning quirk of her eyebrow was enough to answer that question. "I guess only minds like mine would pick it up. The question is, will Negi?"

"Minds like yours," she sneered. "What, empty?"

"You'll see." He told her.

Then the moment of truth arrived, and the perfect opportunity for a counter opened. Negi went for it, grabbing and dragging Chachamaru's leading arm closer, preparing an elbow thrust. Unfortunately, she saw it coming, and using the pillar behind her, vaulted over Negi's head and delivered a kick that sent Negi flying.

"Tch," Eva went. "Well I guess that's that."

"Nah, it's only the moment of truth. It is only over if he hasn't noticed."

Slowly, Negi righted himself and retook his stance. "I'm not dead yet, Evangeline-san." He told her.

"He noticed," Naruto chuckled.

"Huh, what are you talking about? The match is over."

"Check the rules again, Chibi-chan!" Naruto laughed loud enough for all to hear.

"The condition was 'until I die', wasn't it? That means no time limit, right?" Negi explained with a smirk.

"Wha! Don't tell me you're?"

"Hehe, That's right. I'm going to keeping going until I land one hit, no matter how long it takes. Chachamaru-san, let's continue."

"But sensei."

"Cha-chan, continue. Let him keep trying," Naruto told her.

She did just that, and continued to battle Negi.

"Is this what you were talking about?" Eva demanded.

"Yes. No time limit. Even if he falls today, he can try again tomorrow, or the day after, or after that. Eventually he'll land a hit, and you'll have an apprentice."

"So you won't stop this, no matter how much he gets hurt?"

"Unless he was on the verge of death, no, I wouldn't interfere."

That said, they watched as Negi threw himself at Chachamaru again and again, only to be continually knocked to the ground. He once again dragged himself off the floor after and assumed his stance, face bloody and bruised.

"Hey, come on boy, isn't that enough?" Eva was compelled to ask. "We get it, you're motivated, geez."

"No, not yet…I'm not going to give up yet." Negi told her, sounding groggy.

"Geez, he's more like me than I thought. The type that won't give up even if it kills them." Naruto sighed, even while he wore a smile.

Finally, Asuna cracked. "I can't watch this anymore. I'm going to stop him," she declared, only to be blocked by Makie.

"NO! Don't stop him!" she shouted, stepping between Asuna and the match.

"But…" Asuna began to protest, but Makie quickly cut her off.

"Even if he's badly injured, he's still tried really hard to get to this point. I know what you're thinking, but I think it would be terrible for Negi-kun if you stopped him now! Didn't Negi-kun say he would try his hardest no matter what!?"

"Bu, Maki-chan… He's just a brat who doesn't know any better. He's just being stubborn, and I've got to stop him for his own good."

"NO! Negi-kun is an adult!"

"Maki-chan, I know that's what you said in the showers, but no matter how you look at him, he's just a kid."

"A child could never be this stubborn. I can't express it well, but I think Negi-kun is prepared."

"Prepared?"

"Yeah. Negi-kun has an objective, and he's prepared to give everything he has to achieve it. Asuna, do you, your friends or your senpai know any boy's who have an objective like Negi does? Not just someone with a dream, but someone who can say, 'This is what I've decided to live for!'

"That, that's…" Asuna stumbled.

"Negi-kun is an adult. He's got an objective and he's doing his best to achieve it! So, you can't stop him now.

"All this from a third year brat," Eva mumbled, embarrassed.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean she's wrong. Besides, looks like its over," He said, pointing to the on going battle.

"Makie-san," Chachamaru mumbled, momentarily distracted. Negi, not one to miss out on an opening, struck.

"Ah!" Eva gasped as she noticed, but before she got out her warning there was a strong arm wrapped around her stomach and a hand preventing her from speaking.

"Shh, it's their fight, and you shouldn't interfere." Naruto whispered into her ear.

With a clonk, Negi landed a blow to the back of Chachamaru's metallic head, shocking everyone watching. As Negi swayed on his feet, he muttered, "I… I hit."

"I have one final test for him, alright? If he fails, you don't have to teach him if you don't want to." Naruto told Eva. "Alright?"

"Mhad ind off est?" Eva asked, voice muffled by Naruto's hand.

"You'll see." With that, Naruto handed Zero to Eva and jumped down the stairs, landing directly in front of the swaying Negi.

In a commanding voice, Naruto asked Negi. "What is your objective?"

"To find my father," Negi answered dizzily.

"Not bad, but I was expecting more," Naruto mumbled. "Would you risk your life to find him?" he asked.

"Yes." Negi replied unflinchingly. That answer brought of few gasps from the watching girls.

With a small smile, Naruto asked his final question. "Would you risk the lives of your friends and pupils in pursuit of your goal?"

"No!" Negi seemed appalled at the very idea.

Giving a sigh, Naruto very gently and very lightly patted Negi on the head. "Geez, sometime's looking at you is like looking in a chibi mirror. Well, minus the prodigy status. I have three things to say before you pass out. One, it was no time-limit, dummy. You could have lightly clonked her in class and claimed victory, or even just tried again after training some more."

"Oh yeah," Negi muttered.

"Two, congratulations on passing the test, both of them; you did good out there. Finally number three; I've got you, and always will, when ever you fall. Have a good nap." He finished.

With that said, Negi finally collapsed into Naruto's open arms, entering a deep and blissful sleep.

Once Negi was peacefully in his arms, Negi gently lay him down, head rested on Naruto's jacket.

"What was all that about, acting all cool?" Asuna snapped at him.

He snapped back. "And what was all that about, calling him a stubborn child and trying to interfere with the test. I agree with Makie, Negi is an adult, he may be ten, but he's still a ten year old adult. Don't treat his gaols as a child's fantasy."

"I'm curious as well, what were those questions for?" Setsuna asked.

"That was my test. I needed to know just how serious he was. The first question didn't matter. The second question was to gauge his seriousness, but the most important was the third. If he would be willing to sacrifice others to further his own ends, I would have blocked him at every opportunity. He would effectively be my enemy. I'm just glad he answered correctly." Sighing, Naruto began his trek back to Eva's cottage.

A little while later, Negi woke up. The sun was already rising and everyone was gathered around him. The only one not there was Naruto-nii-san.

The first words out from his mouth after waking were, "The test, did I really pass it?"

"Yeah, you did. Both of them." Asuna answered from beside him.

"Both?" he groaned.

"Ask Naruto-sensei," Makie told him.

"Hmph, I lose boy," Eva sighed from the top of the stairs. "Come to my cottage any time you like and I'll train you, just like I promised. Ah, and you should keep up the Kung Fu too. Everyone needs physical skills, and Chinese kenpo seems like the logical choice for someone like you." With that, Eva and Chachamaru departed.

"Thank you Evangeline-san," Negi muttered.

Among the heaps of praise he received, one in particular person stood out the most.

"Well done Negi-kun." Makie congratulated.

"Yes. You've got to do your best too, Makie-san."

"Yeah, leave it to me."

* * *

Author note:

I would like to defend, or at least justify Naruto treating Negi like an adult, and pushing others to do so, especially in regards to dreams and goals.

Naruto himself is where I should start. Affectively an adult and soldier at age 12, having been trained to become such at age 6. That is the norm in his culture, and while 10 years old is younger, he personally knows ninja who graduated early. To him, it wouldn't seem strange to send a child into the fray, as long as they can defend themselves.

On the matter of goals: Naruto's dream was constantly mocked and belittled when he was younger. I can imagine Naruto reacting badly to the same thing happening to Negi.

In fact, this philosophy will seriously grate on Asuna's own.

On Negi's end, he's a teacher and has shown himself to be mature in regards to his goals. Naruto is treating them as such.

I shouldn't have read Sekirei before writing the Makie scene. It was soo tempting to superimpose the Game Master onto Naruto for this scene, calling out his opinion for on high.

I hope you enjoyed the on going Naruto versus Eva. Eva actually managed to get a few wins this chapter too. Strangely, the blackmail had another purpose, or at least was going to, but the diaper message came out of left field and snowballed from there.

Oh, and I could always use idea's on what Naruto could do for Chachamaru. My mind is drawing a blank at the moment. Which reminds me, some of you might be slightly freaked out about the dinner scene, specifically Eva's drink. Yeah, that was weird, but Naruto was trying to be nice, and decided fresh blood would be better. A little personal touch you might say… I can't believe I just typed that. You might also be a little squicked at the dinner itself. There is nothing wrong with eating rabbit. On a related note, haggis is lovely too.

* * *

I now present you with Part 1 of my omake series. A little ongoing thing to have some fun with. It probably won't be every chapter though.

I'll say this now so people don't get confused. The events depicted here have not, will not, can not happen in main story. Clear? Good.

Omake.

Strongest Vs Strongest. Part 1.

Walking down a path in the magical world, Nagi Springfield was bored. He had to patrol the area looking for a couple of mischievous demons that were stealing food from a nearby town.

He hated work like this; he found it frustrating that the great Thousand Master, hero of the war, had to wander through the woods helping a group of people who could, should, have been able to handle it themselves. But alas, this was his job, helping out whoever needed it. Then again, the sense of satisfaction over helping someone would probably overwhelm any annoyances that this particular job was presenting him with.

On the other hand, that warm feeling he got from helping others was conspicuously absent at the moment.

Then he spotted another man, this one walking in the opposite direction from him. This man had spiky blond hair, particularly long at the sides of his head, framing it. He also sported bright blue eyes, and blue headband, a strange spiral pattern inscribed on the metal front. He was wearing a long white coat, the bottom hemmed by flames. Just visible underneath was a dark green vest, and under that dark blue jacket. His pants were a similar shade of blue.

Nagi was just going to let him past, but then he felt it. He locked eyes with the man, and instantly knew he was strong.

All of a sudden, Nagi felt giddy. This feeling, he hadn't experienced it since he met Raken that fateful night, and even then the feeling had only been a tingle, whereas now it was a full blown shock, like he'd been hit with one of his own lightning spells.

Screw the demons, they could wait. He wanted to fight this man, and he wanted to do it _now._

Walking down a forest path in this strange new world, Namikaze Minato was confused. The last thing he remembered was fighting the Kyuubi and that man in the orange mask, then nothing. He was here, completely lost. Once he was sure that he was nowhere near any familiar landmarks, he'd taken a couple of days to rest and recover before finally looking for signs of civilization.

Following the path, he hoped to come across a nearby village and ask about his whereabouts, and hopefully a way home.

Eventually he did come across someone, a red-haired man, about the same age as him, wandering in the opposite direction. He was wearing a light brown cloak and holding a large staff in his right hand. Minato was just about to approach and question the man when they looked eyes. Instantly, Minato could tell he was strong, a fighter. Tensing up and preparing for anything, he cautiously continued his approach.


	15. Pranks and the Beach

"Why did you leave so quickly?" Eva asked, straight to the point. She was leaning against the door's arch. "I thought you would want to stay with the boy until he woke up."

"I would have, but I didn't think the girls liked what I had to say. I thought it best to let it blow over a little." Naruto explained from where he lay.

"Why? It was just the same as that Sasaki girl."

"True, but it was the way I said. I never was one for subtlety, and what Asuna said really annoyed me. Dismissing Negi's dreams like that." He muttered.

"Well, they are only children, they don't know any better."

"I think that's something we both missed out on."

"Hmm, what was that?"

"Childhood, something both of us missed out on." Naruto elaborated.

"How do you know that?" Eva demanded.

"Eishun, he explained to me a little about your past. I don't know much, but I can't imagine you having a normal childhood."

"True, I didn't. What about you? How did you miss out on yours?"

"From the age of 6, children are trained as ninja. Though really, it's not much different from what I've seen around here. But me, I was different; I was an outcast back then. Sure, I played with other kids, but I was mainly alone. I threw myself into training instead."

"Don't you wish you could have a happy childhood?" she asked.

"Of course," Naruto responded.

"And yet you are advocating Negi abandoning his?"

"I never said he couldn't act like a kid," Naruto defended himself. "I just said he shouldn't have been treated like a kid. There is a difference."

"Is there?"

"Yes," Naruto firmly replied. "Look at me. Would I be treated as a child?"

"Well, no." Eva admitted. "More like a teen."

Naruto ignored that last part as he carried on. "And yet I still occasionally do childish things. You're the opposite. I bet more often than not, you're treated like a kid, right?" Eva reluctantly nodded her head. "Yet you act more like an adult. Well, most of the time. That was a pretty silly tantrum a few days ago," he reminded her, referring to the day she came home ranting about jealousy.

Eva grudgingly admitted that was true.

"I'll treat Negi as he acts. If he is serious over his goals, I'll treat them as such. If he decided he wants to act like a kid, then that's fine too. It would be an insult to say he's just a kid when he's so serious. Don't you think so?" he asked.

"I suppose," Eva agreed. "Asuna disagrees." She pointed out.

"I know," he sighed. "I just hope she comes around eventually." With that said, the conversation went quickly silent.

"By the way" Eva began suddenly, "why were you an outcast?" This was the second time he had mentioned being ostracized, and she was curious.

Her only response was silence as Naruto turned over in his futon. Fair enough, she decided. She would find out eventually, and could wait until he was ready to reveal it to her. Or she could use magical methods to extract the information directly from his brain. Whatever.

Just as she began to leave, she heard him say a single word. "Jinchuuriki." He had said it quite clearly, so obviously she was meant to hear it. The power of human sacrifice. Sure, she knew what the word meant literally, but she had no idea just what it referred to. This bore investigating.

* * *

Later that day, when he heard Chachamaru leaving, telling Eva that she was going to visit Negi, Naruto decided to join her.

"So, why are you visiting?" he asked her.

"I am to deliver some medicine and tea to Negi-sensei. If I may inquire, for what reason are you joining me?"

"Ah, well, I wanted to talk to Negi and Asuna. I think she might have misunderstood what exactly I meant yesterday, and I want to make it clear to her."

"I see." She replied.

They made their way in relative silence after that, until… "You don't have to apologize you know." Naruto said, surprising her. "I told you to carry on, and even he told you not to hold back. You have nothing to be sorry about."

"I thank you for saying so, but I am uncomfortable with the idea of harming Negi-sensei. I wish to apologise for my actions."

"Fair enough, but he'll say the same." Naruto warned. She just nodded her head in reply.

Finally arriving at the dorm room which Negi shared with Asuna and Konoka, Chachamaru rang the door bell. It was Konoka who answered the door, and when she saw who it was, invited them in.

"No, I just-"

"Thank you Konoka, we'd love to," Naruto interrupted, grabbing Cha-chan by the hand and pulling her in. Within they found Negi, Asuna and Setsuna. "Hey," Naruto greeted with a smile.

"Ah, Chachamaru-san, Naruto-nii-san, what are you doing here?"

Chachamaru answered, holding out a box of medicine. "These re from mother, it is very effective healing medicine." She explained. "How are your injuries?" she asked once the medicine was in his waiting hands.

"It's nothing," Negi assured her. "It's probably because you went easy on me."

"There is also this from me, delicious tea." She presented.

"Ah, thank you."

"Um, sensei. Even if it was a proper match, um, I must, umm… Excuse me," she bowed, but Naruto grabbed her hand again before she could make it to the door.

"Say it properly," he encouraged.

Bowing, Chachamaru tried again. "Umm, sensei. I wish to… um that is, I, um…. I'm sorry for hurting you," she quickly said.

It took a few seconds to process what she had said, but Negi just gave her a warm smile and said, "Its fine. I told you to not hold back."

For some reason, she felt her inner mechanics relax. Running a quick systems check, she realized she was fine, and focused back onto Negi.

"Good job beating Cha-chan," Naruto praised. "It really was amazing to watch."

"Ah, thank you," Negi muttered, embarrassed.

Naruto turned to Asuna after that, who had been glaring at him since he entered the room.

"What!?" she asked hotly when she noticed where his attention lay.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about what I said earlier."

That caused her to perk up, looking expectant for an apology. "Go on."

He sat down at the table where she was seated, facing her. "I'm sorry about earlier. The way I phrased it may have sounded differently than I imagined."

That wasn't quite what she wanted, but before she had a chance to object, Naruto continued. "I was annoyed at you for dismissing Negi's determination as childish stubbornness, and may have taken it a little personally."

With a huff, she said, "That's fine." It wasn't like she could stay made at him because he disagreed with her.

Naruto was smiling when the voice of Makie rang out, informing them all of how she got selected. What for, Naruto wasn't sure, but success was success, so he put on a smile and congratulated along with the others. Soon after, Chachamaru was making tea as the two teachers, well, one teacher and one substitute teacher, and the girls celebrated.

Soon though, Negi was called away by Yue and Nodoka at the door. Swiftly after, Negi and Asuna excused themselves.

It wasn't long after their departure that Makie and Ako left too, followed by Chachamaru. Naruto was just about to leave as well when Setsuna stopped him.

"Ah, Naruto-sensei. There is something I wanted to ask you about. Earlier, you said that you were shunned. I was wondering what you meant by that."

"Eh, really? Naruto-sensei was…?" Konoka asked.

"I could ask you the same. Why were you so afraid of rejection? Eishun must have known, and he didn't seem to mind your wings."

"I was born differently. My white wings were seen as bad luck, and I was abandoned. I had no parents to stick up for me, so I was cast away. The Elder took me in. Now, enough about me. You still haven't answered my question." She stiffly explained.

"Tch, fine," he scowled. "Ever since I was born, the people thought I was a demon given human form, biding my time in order to slaughter them all. The higher ups knew better, of course, but that didn't convince anybody else. So, unlike you, I stayed in the village that hated me. No one would take me in, so I was a ward of the state until age 6. They taught me to look after myself in my youth, a regular shift taking care of me. No one person for more than two or three months, so I wouldn't get attached and miss them. From age 6 I lived on my own and looked after myself. For a long time, I hated it, the glares I received, the discrimination, the loneliness, the people, and I ended up crying myself to sleep more times than I remember. Eventually, I realized that crying was useless, and decided to do something about it. I became a ninja, and aimed for Hokage. Eventually, they got over their silly belief and embraced me as a part of the village. I was 12 when the change in attitude started, 16 when it was complete."

"T-t-that's so sad!" Konoka sniffed, before breaking into tears and hugging him. Setsuna threw him a dirty look at this, before it crumbled into one of understanding. This was something similar to her own, and just hearing about it made her feel closer to the blond.

"I can't believe they hurt you so, I bet they beat you too!" Konoka wailed.

"Wait, what? I never said that! Why do people always think that?" he sighed, exasperated. Naruto spent the next few minutes calming Konoka down, simultaneously trying to convince her his treatment wasn't all that bad.

Once Konoka's tears were dry, and Naruto had gently pried Konoka from his person, Setsuna had one more question. "Why did they think you were a demon?"

"They had their reasons. Stupid reasons born from ignorance, but reasons nonetheless."

"And they were…" she prompted.

"Not telling," he replied.

"Wha? Why not. Surely you don't think we'd see you as a monster?"

"Huh? No, of course not. It's just not important, at least not right now."

Setsuna didn't look like she was going to let the matter drop so easily, but before she could even open her mouth, she was cut off.

"Now, now Set-chan. If Naruto-sensei isn't ready to talk about the horrible treatment he received as a child, you shouldn't force him." Konoka told her friend.

"But Ojou-sama," she protested.

"Set-chan," Konoka interrupted, smiling sweetly.

Embarrassed and blushing, Setsuna backed off. "Of course, Ojou-sama. Apologies Naruto-sensei."

"Er, its fine. It isn't like I'm never going to tell you, its just not something I like talking about without reason." He explained.

They seemed to accept that well enough, though they were still curious. "Oh, and don't tell Eva-chan any of this," he added. "She has her own clue to figure out."

"Yeah, okay," Konoka agreed.

"Alright, I think I better get going now." With that, Naruto left.

* * *

Naruto woke up the following morning very uncomfortable, seeing as Eva was stood on his chest. Rolling over, she slipped off of him and he proceeded to ignore her, hoping she would leave and he could go back to sleep. It was too early, dammit!

No such luck, as she then kicked him in the ribs in order to get his attention. Repeatedly. Hard. On the third kick, Naruto couldn't take it any more. "What!?" he snapped, sitting up and catching her foot as she kicked again.

"Chachamaru has gone out. Make me something to eat." She ordered.

"Make something yourself," Naruto grumbled.

"No, you do it."

"I'm not cooking for you first thing in the morning. Especially when you wake me like this and don't even say please."

"Fine. Please make me something to eat," she asked again, her voice not losing its sharp edge.

Giving a sigh, Naruto said, "There should still be some of that rabbit stew left. All you have to do is heat it up," he suggested.

"Then get to it," Eva demanded. Giving her a half-hearted glare, Naruto managed to extract a "please."

With a scowl, he clambered out of bed, and into the kitchen. He quickly grabbed the pot filled with stew and stuck it in the microwave. He stumbled back into his room, only to realise he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep again. "Urgh," he groaned, realizing he was hungry too. He soon made his way back to where Eva was waiting for the stew to warm up. "Thanks Chibi-chan," he scowled as he sat across from her. "I could be asleep right now, but no, you were hungry and couldn't do anything yourself. Where is Cha-chan anyway?" he asked, before remembering something. He suddenly stood and headed up the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

"Zero-chan," he muttered. Once he was in Eva's room, he immediately went to the dolls side, picking her up and carrying her downstairs. "Hey Zero-chan, morning," he greeted.

"Morning Naruto-sama! A lil early, ain't it?"

"Yeah, well, you can thank the old and short one for that," he told her as he went and sat across from Eva again.

"Hey!"

"Meh, hey yourself. You haven't answered my question yet," he reminded.

With a huff, she told him. "I sent Chachamaru to the library for me, and she hasn't gotten back yet. I don't know why."

Meanwhile, at Library Island, Chachamaru was flying through the air, carrying Yue and Nodoka as they ran from a dragon. Yeah, it was just that kind of thing.

"Oh, fair enough," he reasoned. "Still doesn't tell me why you had to wake me up. Why couldn't you just have waited for her?"

"I have school soon, so I couldn't wait any longer," she explained.

Rolling his eyes, Naruto said, "So. Why don't you just ditch class?"

Surprised, she told him, "I used to do that a lot, but I told Negi I would come."

"Ahh, to bad," he sighed. "I could have really used your help with my next prank."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"Well, I decided to try and top myself. My best prank had to be when I painted the Hokage monument, so I was thinking of something similar."

"What's so great about defacing a monument?" she snorted.

"Because the monument was the size of a small mountain face. Those four faces, spread across half the village, painted how I wished, it was beautiful." He gushed.

"Wait, what?" With that, she went upstairs and returned moment later with a book. Opening it, she pointed to a picture inside. In it were four faces on a mountain side. Eyes wide in surprise, Naruto studied the faces, but didn't recognize any of them. "Was it like this?"

"Well, they weren't the faces, but it looks about the same size. This may be slightly bigger, but not much."

Eva sat heavily. "You defaced something the size of Mount Rushmore. How did you even get away with that?"

"Eh, planning and good night vision. It took me the whole night to too."

"And you're trying to top that?"

"Yep!"

"How?"

"Easy, I'm going to paint the entire campus orange!"

"How!?"

"Well, that depends. Do you want to help?"

That was a tough decision, either go to class and learn something she already knew, and had learned 12 years ago, or paint the entire academy orange. The answer was obvious.

"I'm in, but if Negi asks, I was ill. Got it?"

"Got it!" With that, the microwave went off. "Y'know, there's probably only just enough for one in there," Naruto casually mentioned. Glancing at each other, they made a dash for it. The struggle for breakfast was on.

* * *

"So, how're we doing this?" Eva asked, still a little miffed over what she was now referring to 'The Rabbit Incident' in her own head. Chachamaru wouldn't be pleased when she got home to that. Ah, so many chickens. And she was still unsure where exactly the giant pig came from. Oh well, didn't matter now, not until her robot maid got home anyway.

They were both dressed in orange outfits, Naruto in his orange jumpsuit with black shoulders, and Eva in Naruto's jumpsuit from when he was 12. It had been a struggle to convince her to wear it, but with the rest of her outfits un-wearable at the moment he managed. It helped when he innocently mentioned how much easier it would be to get back camouflaged.

Right now they were a mile away from the cottage, sitting just off the forest path, not willing to spend anymore time in Eva's home than necessary. Chachazero was once again on Naruto's shoulders, clutching onto his head rather tightly and rocking gently back and forth. "So much… so much…," she was saying to herself, shuddering every time.

"Easily," Naruto answered her, unfolding a map of Mahora. On it were several dots, strategically placed on walls and rooftops. Taking out of small note slightly larger than a bookmark, he told her, "All we need to do is place one of these at these locations. I'll be covering these three sections," he said, indicating the north, south and east, "and you'll handle this section," he told her indicating the west, where the World Tree was located. "We meet here," he said, indicating the tall tower in the middle of the academy, "at two, on the top floor. Can you handle it?" he asked.

"Yes," she told him without hesitation. "How long have you been planning this anyway?"

"Well, I've got a lot of free time, and so I thought I'd do this. If I had something to do, I wouldn't be spending my time like this, but the old man hasn't given me any assignments yet."

"So basically, you were bored?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that's a feeling I can sympathise with." She muttered. "Alright, let's get this over with." With that, they set off, Naruto splitting into three and heading in separate directions. It was a simple if time consuming process, setting the tags up everywhere, but luckily the only snag was when they had to hide at lunch. No problem, really, seeing as Naruto was a ninja and Eva had spent quite some time in her early life hiding from mobs. It made good practice at stealth.

At around two, they did meet up at the top of the tower. Naruto was sitting on the roof when he heard Eva come up the stairs. Leaning over the side and into the building, Naruto helped her onto the sloping roof.

Once both were comfortably seated, Naruto started. "We have two choices, either set the tags off now, or wait until school finishes, and everybody is outside."

"I vote for option 2," Chachazero put in.

"No," Eva cut her off. "We risk getting caught if we wait. We do it now."

"If you say so," Naruto shrugged. "Are you ready?" he asked as he brought his hands together in a seal.

Her small grin was all the answer he needed. "Hehe." With that, Naruto sent a chakra signal to the tags he and Eva had distributed across campus. All at once, a torrent of orange paint poured forth, washing the streets and buildings in orange. He, Eva and Zero watched as it swept over everything.

"Was that that, 'hehe'? Pathetic."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"There was absolutely no passion whatsoever in that, none at all. If you are going to do something on a large scale, you also need to be dramatic. It sells the scene," she explained.

Sighing, Naruto responded. "If you say so." Seeing the look of indignation on her face, he continued. "Fine, fine. Next time I do something amazing, I'll try to be extra dramatic, just for you. I promise."

Eva smirked at that announcement, amused, at least until she spotted the movement below; a few men in the distance were making their way directly for the tower.

Pointing them out to her partner in crime, he turned to her. "Do you think you'll be able to out run them?"

"Not without magic," she informed him.

"Oh well," he shrugged, picking her up and carrying her as he fled, jumping off the tallest tower, running down the walls before jumping to the nearest rooftop, hopping from one to another in his flight.

Though Eva was annoyed at being carried like she was a child, she kept her temper in check. It was either this or get caught. With a little bit of effort, Naruto managed to lose their pursuers, though it took a while.

* * *

Negi was teaching class 3-C when he noticed it. Well, some of his students noticed it first, and as more and more began pointing it out to each other the child teacher himself turned towards the windows, curious as to what exactly was distracting his students so.

Gazing onto the campus grounds, all he could see was orange. All a uniform shade spread everywhere. Rushing to the windows and sticking his head through one of them, he looked both left and right.

Orange, it was even on the walls of this very building, above, below and to both sides of the window. The girls were right behind him now, awed at the work, with at least one of them pressed of against his back, her breast cushioning his head, something he was sure was deliberate on her part. The girls of 3-A may have been one of the more forward classes in their gushing tendencies, but some of his other classes weren't far behind.

He wasn't sure which he thought was worse, the older and more playful girls, or the younger and shyer classes who were nonetheless a bit more serious seeing as their was only a two year age gap between them. Sometimes it was painful being him. Or at least that is what he would think if not for the fact he was 10 and knew almost nothing about girls, romantically or not. It was for this reason he enjoyed the younger classes more, except for 3-A, his own homeroom and favourite class.

Slightly panicky, he called out in a shaky voice, "N-Now now girls, back to you seats, we still have a lesson to finish." Slowly, and with much complaining, the girls took their seats, and Negi continued the lesson. Unfortunately, as much as he tried they just wouldn't listen, instead choosing to whisper and discuss what exactly happened outside. By the time the bell rang and class ended, he'd only just got through half of what he wanted to.

It was the end of the school day now, so he was soon out of the classroom and headed to the headmasters office, curious to find out what was going on. When he arrived at the office doors, he noticed that the usual secretary was missing. Unsure if he should wait or enter, he thought for a moment before deciding to take a peek inside.

"What the hell is going on?! Why exactly are the streets painted orange?" one of the teachers was shouting, Negi wasn't sure which one through the mass of adults in suits that were all congregated around the Headmasters desk, demanding an explanation.

Slowly he entered, knowing that these people, not all of them teachers, had come for the exact same reason as him. He noticed the headmaster and his secretary were trying to calm down all the irate men and women, and realizing that stepping in to help matters wouldn't help, decided to patiently wait.

It took awhile, but eventually the room calmed down and the Headmaster spoke up. "I have already sent a group out to find the culprits, and when they are caught-" he began, before in walked Takamichi and two other teachers he didn't recognise.

"Ah, Takamichi, did you catch them?"

"I'm afraid they got away. We chased two suspects for close to an hour, but they got away in the end."

"I see. Did you at least get a good look at them?"

"We didn't get close enough to identify, but form what I could tell, both were blond, one boy and one girl, and both wore the same shade of orange as the walls. It made them particularly difficult to track."

"Very well, please continue to investigate." He ordered, before Takamichi bowed and left. "Well, it seems we failed to catch the culprits in the act, but I'm sure we'll catch them eventually."

"Yeah, well, who's going to clean up this mess!?"

"Don't worry; I have just the man for the job. The cleaning effort will start fist thing tomorrow, but I apologize for the incident."

Grumbling, the teachers and workers filed out of the room unsatisfied, but knowing there was nothing left to be done.

* * *

3-A was bored. It was a simple biology class, but their substitute teacher had somehow managed to make what would usually be a, if not interesting, than at least normal lesson completely boring with his mono-tone voice. Asuna was practically asleep, Hakase and Chao weren't paying any attention at all, both more interested in scribbling ideas for their next big science project. In fact, only the more studious girls even bothered to try and pay attention, and from the looks of it, they were failing badly.

Asuna was just about to completely nod off when, "AHHH!"

Jumping in her seat, she quickly looked through the classroom only to find nothing amiss. Taking a closer look, she noticed that a lot of people were looking outside. In particular, both Narutaki twins were stood on their seats, staring open mouthed at the spectacle outside.

Turning her head, Asuna looked herself. Orange, bright and exuberant, everywhere she looked. Completely ignoring the teacher's token protests, the whole class rushed to the window to examine the outside world. It really was everywhere.

After a few minutes of stunned silence, the twins hugged each other and cried out, "HOW!? Who would do something this incredible? Who could do something this amazing? I want to meet them!"

"No, no, we can't," one of them said after a few minutes, Fuuka Asuna thought, but she couldn't be sure, she never was very good at telling the difference between the twins.

"Why not?" the other pouted.

"We are not worthy. To do this, they must be a master that could put us to shame, and showing our faces to them would be disrespectful!"

"Yeah, you're right, but still…" Fuumika mumbled.

"I know," she stated calmly, before breaking into tears again. "I want to meet them too!"

After that display, the lesson may as well have ended, seeing how much attention the girls were paying to their teacher, instead opting to talk amongst themselves, mostly about the orange outdoors.

Twenty minutes early the sub dismissed them early. As a group they left the school, marvelling at the fact that the colour really was every where. The tram station, all the grounds form the middle school to the dorms, it was uniform. Somehow every single manmade object was orange, while anything natural retained its colour.

Stunned, the girls arrived home, got changed and a good portion of them went exploring, finding it the same all over. It truly was incredible.

* * *

Landing in front of Eva's cottage, Naruto and Eva seemed to arrive just when Chachamaru opened the door. Or possibly a few minutes later, seeing as she seemed to have frozen on the spot at the sight of the cottage's interior.

Mechanically, she turned her head to regard her Master/Mother and her companion. Both blondes stiffened as her gaze swept over them. Naruto broke first, rushing up to robotic girl and promising to help clean, begging her on his knees and clutching onto Chachamaru's skirt.

Eva faired better, if only barely, and was herself moments from cracking under her maids stare, thankful that Naruto was distracting her. As soon as Chachamaru's eyes left hers, she breathed a sigh of relief, and then quickly berated herself for feeling fear because her doll was angry.

With a final glare at her mother, Chachamaru lead Naruto into the cottage. Soon after, Eva followed, ignoring the entire room with the grace and practice of born nobility, grabbed the books Chachamaru had brought back from Library Island, and proceeded to the only room not hit by The Rabbit Incident, Naruto's room.

Examining the room for the first time in years, the first thing she noticed was the smell; the room had begun to smell like Naruto, like a forest. He'd only been here for what, 2 weeks at most, and the room had definitely become his. The room was full of shelves, Eva noticed, which was slightly odd as she couldn't remember them being here before. They were stacked with papers, which had strange patterns covering them, which was odd. But there were other things on the shelves as well, including pictures. One was of Naruto as a child, a pink haired girl and black hired boy standing to his right and a greyed haired man leaning over all three of them as they posed for the picture.

Another was of a blond man with spiky hair, hugging a pregnant red-head from behind. Obviously they Naruto's parents, considering the resemblance he and the blond man had.

It was the third photo that surprised her the most though, containing Naruto himself, looking the same age as he did now, as well as another blonde. It was a girl, the same age as Naruto. She had light blonde hair and pale purple eyes. The girl was leaning into Naruto's side, one arm around Naruto, the other holding her stomach. Naruto had one arm thrown over the shoulders of the girl, holding her close. She looked incredibly happy, while Naruto just smiled.

Moving on, the next thing she noticed was a three pronged weapon hanging from the wall, tip down and a strange thin scroll unwrapped and hanging across the hilt. Examining it, she vaguely recognized one or two things, but nowhere near enough to make sense of it all.

Next were three film reels. Two of which were blank, and the third had the title: Princess Fuun in the Land of Snow. She quirked her eyebrow in curiosity, before moving on, thinking how she would have to check the movies out when she had time.

There was also a large scroll away in the corner, tightly wrapped. She ignored that for now, taking one last look through the room. Finding nothing else of significance, she made herself comfortable on Naruto's futon before opening the first book Chachamaru had procured for her, 'Sacrificial Rituals.' Her research into Jinchuuriki had begun.

Hours later, when Naruto returned to his room after helping Chachamaru clean, he found Eva, curled up and asleep in his bed. Shaking his head, he tucked her in before informing the robot maid, and slept elsewhere.

* * *

It was only much later that Takamichi returned, informing the elderly man that there was no evidence as to who did this or how, found through either magical or mundane means. With a sigh, the headmaster dismissed Takamichi.

With another sigh, the Headmaster looked over his school. Everywhere he looked was covered in orange paint. He knew who was responsible too, but there was no way to prove it, which was frustrating. The teachers who had been pursuing the culprits hadn't been able to catch them, quite a blow to Takamichi's reputation. The other teachers were angry, most of the students were impressed, and the rest were equally annoyed as the teachers.

He was both impressed that such an undertaking could take place under his nose, and worried as his new charge seemed to be acting out, though he wasn't sure if it was malicious intent or just plain boredom that drove this display. Either way, he would be asking Naruto-kun to clean this up in the morning, giving him his next job as he did so. With a chuckle, the Headmaster went home and slept.

The next morning he would be surprised however, finding absolutely no trace of the paint at all. He was so surprised, he would forget all about informing Naruto of his job, leaving him blissfully unaware of the horror that approached.

* * *

It was the day after the 'Rabbit Incident', the more memorable event of the day for those involved, when Negi finally came for training, Asuna, Konoka, Setsuna, Nodoka, Kuu Fei and Yue in tow.

Naruto watched as Eva ordered Negi to active his Pactio's, set up barriers and practice his magic, causing Negi to collapse.

"Argh," Eva groaned, "he may have inherited great magical power, but it's just pointless if he's just going to collapse like that."

"Hey, don't you think that's a little harsh, Evangeline-san." Chamo defended his partner. "Doing what he just did, he used up more magic than he did during the trip. It's only natural he would pass out, any mage would have-"

"Silence, lower life form," Eva cut him off, glaring. "You think I would settle for just an ordinary mage?" Pausing for effect, she continued, "…do you want me to eat you, trespasser?"

That caused Chamo to flee to Asuna, not that Eva noticed, she was on a roll. "That brat should have been prepared for this and more when he asked for training. Don't let him think he'll get by with half-assed training. I have barely begun, and if he's falling down already, he doesn't stand a chance. Just look at Naruto, how do you think he got so strong, through hellish training of course!"

"Is that true, Naruto-sensei?" Asuna asked.

"Er, well," he hesitated.

"See!" proclaimed Asuna.

"Go on, tell them about your training," Eva prodded.

"Alright, but I'm not going to lie for you, got that?" Naruto told her. As far as he could remember, he hadn't told them much of anything about his training, so Eva was probably looking for back-up, not that she needed it. "Hmm, let's see, what kind's of things did I do in my training?" he wondered aloud. "Well, there was that time Ero-sennin pushed me off that cliff, do or die style, the time I had to infiltrate an enemy base full of ninja more powerful than me, the time I had to split a waterfall in half, the time I had to sneak into an all female hot spring crawling with high level Kunoichi," he sighed, "I'm almost died so many times on that last one alone."

"What's so bad about that last one, apart from it being disgusting?" Asuna asked.

"Well, when a kunoichi threatens to castrate you, it is not usually an empty threat, especially if they are not from your village," he explained with a shiver.

"Do you see that boy!? True dedication to getting stronger. That is the kind of training you can expect from me. If you make the slightest complaint, I'll drink your blood, every last drop!" Eva told a recovering Negi.

"Okay! I'm counting on you Evangeline-san!" he told the vampire, surprising her and drawing a small chuckle from Naruto.

"Mm, call me Master," she told him.

"Yes Master," he agreed. "By the way, how long do you think I'll have to train until I can fight a dragon?"

"What?" she deadpanned. "Say that again."

"I said, 'If I wanted to face a dragon…"

"Hoho, a dragon, huh?"

"Yes!"

"Are you some kind of moron!?" she shouted, punching him.

"What's that about a dragon?" Asuna asked, Naruto approaching as well. "Some kind of video game?"

"Well, I don't know if you'll believe me," Yue explained, "but yesterday, me and Nodoka convinced Negi to take us to that place in Library Island, the one that was in the map. We encountered a dragon there, and we would have been killed if it wasn't for Chachamaru."

"Oh, that explains why she was late back," Naruto muttered, unconcerned.

Asuna on the other hand was quiet as Yue explained the specifics, something none of them noticed.

Later, after training had finished, Negi and Asuna fought, Naruto wasn't sure what about. Eventually, Asuna stormed off, leaving Negi, Konoka and Setsuna behind.

Soon after, Eva invited them inside for a discussion.

What followed was an explanation about magic that Negi was to depressed to listen to, Konoka was to busy comforting Negi to listen to, and that Setsuna and Naruto had little interest in anyway. He wasn't sure how Setsuna felt, but Naruto knew theory sucked. So in the end, no one was listening to Eva's lecture, resulting in a loss of temper.

"LISTEN WHEN I TALK, DAMMIT!" she yelled, slamming her hands on the table. The result was nothing but stinging palms.

Finally grabbing their attention with more yelling, Eva explained Konoka's potential, and offered Negi a choice.

"In order for you to take the next step in your training, you need to pick a combat style. I've thought of two you could choose from. The first is 'Wizard' style: leaving your defence entirely up to your disciples, you would use strong spells from the back line, a pretty stable style," she told them, holding up a single finger. Raising the second, she continued. "The second style is the 'Magic Swordsman' style: To supplement your magic, you would train your body and fight alongside your disciples. You would also use spells with an emphasis on speed. It's a freeform style capable of change."

"Wizard style or Magic Swordsman…" Negi mumbled.

"Just like a video game," Chamo added.

"We'll be dividing it for the purposes of training. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. Personally, I think Wizard suits a clever person like you," Eva suggested.

"May I ask a question?"

"What is it?"

"What style did the Thousand Master use?"

"Hmph, I thought you would ask me that. You should know from seeing me and the pale boy fight, once you reach a certain point, the differences between styles cease to matter. Having said that, I would say… he was a Magic Swordsman, strong enough that he didn't even need disciples."

While Negi thought, Naruto asked, "What style did you start out as?"

"Me? Wizard, I suppose."

"I see. And what style would you say would suit me?"

"Well, _if_ I taught you, I would say you would be a Magic Swordsman, but I think we both know that would be impossible."

"Huh, why is that?" Konoka asked.

"Because, he doesn't have any magic at all. Not even a bit."

"But I thought…" Konoka began.

Eva cut her off. "With enough training, any modern day human can learn to utilise magic."

"So, how come he can't?"

"That is because Naruto here is not a modern day human. From what history shows, the first magic uses appeared thousands of years ago. From what I can guess, he comes from the time before that."

"Probably," Naruto agreed.

"Therefore, he hasn't got the ability. Well, maybe if he became a Minister Magi," she conceded. "Oh well," she shrugged. "Now, boy," she addressed Negi, "I will give you time to decide. For now, I need to speak to Konoka, please come with me."

With that, Eva and Konoka left the room, leaving Naruto with just one question. "What's a video game?"

As one, the room sweat dropped.

Later, Hakase arrived, and together with Setsuna, Zero, and Cha-chan, tried to figure out why Asuna was mad.

"This is the worst group to use, trying to figure out a normal girl," Chamo whispered to him. Naruto could only nod in agreement as he listened to the arguments transcript. Sighing, he figured out pretty quickly why Asuna was mad, though he wasn't sure. He thought it had something to do with Negi thinking he needed to protect her, something that always got Sakura or Ino angry, but he couldn't be sure, and therefore kept his mouth shut. Like hell he was going to get involved, albeit indirectly, in Negi and an anger prone girl's fight. He had enough memories of his own, thank you very much.

Deciding to apologize, Negi summoned Asuna. A naked Asuna, who had apparently been taking a shower. '_That's it,'_ Naruto thought. _'Why does everything this kid do somehow involve naked people.' _

When Takamichi showed up and Asuna ran/streaked into the cottage, Naruto decided he had had enough, and went to his room, only to find Asuna hiding in there. Closing the door, Naruto had only one thought. _'I don't know when, I don't know how, but I've been infected.' _

'_Why are you complaining?' one of the voices asked._

'_Shut up.'_

With that, he collapsed onto the couch. He just didn't care any more.

* * *

On this day, Haruna of the Library Club was shopping alone. Her friends had been busy doing something, she wasn't sure what, not that it mattered. She was on a book hunt, but not the regular kind, it was one of _those_ book hunts, and her friends would not have been interested anyway.

She was just entering the book shop when she noticed the new release, 'Tale of a Gutsy Ninja.' She recognised that title, but she wasn't sure from where. Picking it up anyway, she quickly checked the blurb, noting the author's name, Namikaze Jiraiya. Not her usual fair, but if nothing else, it appealed to Yue's tastes. Grabbing it, she made her way into her desired section. Searching through the area, looking for new titles, she came across something that sparked her attention. The book had the name Namikaze on it again. So, it was obviously the same author, releasing two books at once. She grabbed it and bought it, Icha Icha Paradise. It was going to be an interesting read, if only to figure out where she remembered the title from.

* * *

For the next three days, Naruto worked on two projects. The first was Eva's barrier. He made a little progress. From what he could tell, when Nagi had placed the barrier, his own seal had become inter-mixed with it, due to one of the key points being the World Tree, but that was all he had.

The second project was something he had been working on since before he was sealed, and he still hadn't made any progress, much to his frustration. The only reason he had stopped before was because the fox had been using his anger to try and break free. Yes, he had been that angry. It was _that_ Jutsu, Hiraishin, the Flying Thunder God, and he was failing.

Both projects were dead-ends at the moment, and he decided he needed a break, and went for a walk. That was when he met saw Negi and Ayaka. She was holding his hands and leaning over him. Approaching the pair, he heard Ayaka say, "I wanted to invite you to my southern paradise."

Now, knowing just what the class rep was like, Naruto was suitably worried. That was why, the next second he was between Negi and Ayaka. "Listen here; if you think I'm just going to let you proposition Negi like that, you have another thing coming." He threatened.

Negi was thoroughly confused, while Ayaka was furiously blushing. "I meant my private island in the southern seas!"

"Oh," Naruto said, relaxing with a slight blush, "I thought you meant, well, you know." He finished lamely, not able to look her in the eye. Ayaka had a similar problem.

"Erm, island?" Negi asked.

"Yes, a southern island, just for us. So, Negi-sensei, what do you think?"

"Ah, sure!" he agreed, exited about the beach trip.

"Not alone you don't, I'm coming too." Naruto announced.

Ayaka reluctantly agreed. She didn't like it, but he was both a teacher (Sub) and if she forced the issue, she got the feeling it wouldn't do her image any good.

And so, Naruto went back to the cottage and packed, heading out for a tropical island.

* * *

The plane flight was a strange experience for Naruto, though he didn't show it. In the end, he just relaxed. Well, until he heard it, a sound so familiar, and yet so different. Twisting in his seat, he found Haruna reading something oh so familiar. Confirming his theory, he once again twisted in his seat and sat. She really was letting out the patented Icha Icha perverted giggle.

'_Ignore it, ignore it, ignore it,'_ he chanted to himself.

"Hey, Haruna-san, what's that?" one of the girls asked, Naruto wasn't sure which one.

"Oh, this, this is a master piece. I-I don't know how to describe it other than that."

"Ar-are you crying?"

"It's just, so beautiful," she sobbed.

"Can I have look?"

"S-sure."

Once again, Naruto twisted round, only to find the book already in the hands of a blushing girl, who had apparently opened it at a random page. She was a red-head, Natsumi if he remembered correctly.

He made a grab for the book, but she moved to quickly to be caught. Damn Icha Icha defence mechanism, only it could elevate a normal girl to faster than him in mere moments.

It was too late now, she was caught, making it that much easier for Icha Icha to spread. Hopefully it would find its antithesis pretty soon, anti-perverted girls who would destroy it as soon as possible. At least, that was Naruto's hope. Then again, that just goes to show how well he really knew this class. Asuna was the only chance he had.

Then again, more money for him.

* * *

As soon as Naruto and the girls arrived, they were already headed for the beach and the waiting water. The girls were all wearing swimsuits, ranging from revealing to conservative, but the strangest dressed was Naruto himself. He had on blue swimming shorts, but was also wearing a bandage wrapped around his abdomen. Wearing that, he was happy to play with the girls splashing in the water.

He was playing with the cheerleaders when it happened. Negi had been accosted by some of the girls, and in his haste to get away he rushed through the water, right into Naruto. The force of the blow knocked them both off balance, straight into the chests of two of the bustiest members of the class, Asakura for Negi, who immediately grabbed his head and hugged him close, and Chizuru for Naruto.

Blushing furiously, both attempted to extract themselves from the bosoms before them, only for Negi to be held there, and Naruto to realize he was stuck beneath her bikini top. Pulling back pulled her forward and up, driving his face deeper into her soft flesh.

"Oh my," Chizuru gasped, slightly shocked. "It seems you're stuck."

As he stopped struggling for a moment, he turned one eye up, looking through the valley and up into her eyes. "You're not going to hurt me for this, are you?" he nervously asked. He got the feeling she wouldn't, but he also got the feeling that this was a girl you didn't want to mess with.

"No, no, of course not," she assured him, before pulling his face back into her chest, "I'm not like those terrible people from your childhood, I'd never hurt you."

Struggling again, he pulled himself away, which turned out not to be the best idea. The bikini top was no longer holding his face in tight, it had somehow managed to roll down his shoulders, tightly pinning his arms to his sides and Chizuru's bare body to his own bare chest, faces inches apart.

Ignoring that the best he could for now, which was har- difficult, he asked, "What are you talking about?"

"You don't have to hide it; Konoka was telling us about your childhood, how you were an abused orphan growing up."

When Naruto tried to speak again, to tell her she had the wrong idea, she cut him off, taking him into a gentle embrace, one arm around his body and another around his head, pulling it into her shoulder. "Shh, shh, it all right now, nobody's going to hurt you."

With a sigh, Naruto calmed down, and gently pulled back. "Listen," he began, "It is true I'm an orphan, but I think you've got the wrong idea; Konoka probably embellished. I thank you for trying to comfort me, but having a girl younger than me mother me is just really weird."

"Okay. I understand sensei," she responded.

"Good," he said, giving her a gentle smile. "Now, I think we need to get your top off."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, I am kinda trapped," he told her.

Looking down, it seemed she finally noticed their position, her naked body pressed against his, one of her arms around his head like she was about pull him in for a kiss. Glancing around, it was clear the other girls were watching intently. Thinking about her actions, she also noticed that from an outside observer, it would seem she was molesting him, forcing her body on him.

With a start, she also realised she could feel his heartbeat, the heat of his body, even his hot breath on her lips. She blushed as she realized she was gently running her hand through his hair, getting a feel of how soft it was, even as she softly grinded herself against him, feeling how hard his body was against her own, though her subconscious movements would simply be mistaken for the push and pull of the waves. It seems that while her mind had been concentrating on the poor boy in front of her, her body had been aware of the adult body he possessed.

She fled then, slipping out of her top with ease and running towards the beach, one arm covering her modesty and the other held up against her face, hiding her nosebleed.

Blinking in surprise, there was one last thought before Naruto fainted from lack of blood, seeing as it all seemed to escape at once through his nose. _'This is Negi's fault.'_ But in his last moments, when he glanced at the person to blame, he found him unconscious, surrounded by girls thrusting their breasts in his face. _'Okay, so maybe he got it just as bad, if not worse than me. Still his fault.' _

Then there was nothing but blissful darkness.

* * *

He woke up a few minutes later, a strange taste in his mouth. Negi was recovering next to him, groaning. They were both surrounded by worried looking girls. Coughing, Naruto sat up. "Urg, what happened?"

"You both almost drowned," the soft voice of Nodoka informed him.

"How did that happen?" Negi asked.

"Well, you couldn't keep your head above the water because of us," Haruna sheepishly explained, causing Negi to blush, "while Naruto-sensei here spent a good five minutes lost in Chizuru-san's cleavage, before fainting from a nose bleed and almost drowning. I gotta say, I'm impressed, being able to last that long before reacting. Lesser men would have been putty in her hands after thirty seconds!" she complemented him, causing some of the other girls to nod their heads in agreement. It somehow seems he gained their respect.

After that and once they were sure the boys were fine, the crowd slowly dispersed, leaving Negi and Naruto alone.

Frowning, Naruto turned to Negi. "We were drowning, right?"

"Er, yeah."

Nodding his head, Naruto continued. "Do you have a funny taste in your mouth? Not bad, quite pleasant actually, but still different."

After a few moments, where Negi was running his tongue in his mouth, Negi nodded his head. "I wonder what it is, it seems familiar."

"It's a new taste to me."

For a moment there was silence, before Negi's eyes widened. "Er, Nii-san, you don't think… CPR, do you?"

Calmly nodding his head, Naruto silently agreed. "By the way Negi, I blame you for this."

"Eh, for what?"

"All these pervy situations I'm finding myself in. I don't know whether to hurt you or thank you."

Negi had nothing to say to that, knowing that he was right. They may have been accidents, but Negi was involved in a lot of sexy situations, and now it was spreading to Naruto. "Sorry."

"No need for that," he dismissed. "I know you don't mean to, and like I said, I'm not sure I'm even angry. Now, I'm going to play in the water a little more, do you want to join me?"

"No thanks nii-san, I'm just going to check up on the girls."

"Suit yourself," Naruto said, before heading back to the water.

Half an hour later, Naruto was walking along the surface of the sea, underwater when he saw Negi swimming nearby.

Then he spotted Natsumi, the girl who had been so absorbed in Icha Icha earlier. She was underwater herself, sneaking up on Negi. Approaching her, he tapped her on the shoulder causing her to let out bubbles of air that would have been a scream. She twisted around after that, though Naruto could it was a struggle for her to stay underwater. Grabbing her hand, he quickly dragged her away and out of Negi's sight before surfacing.

"Don't scare me like that!" she gasped.

"Sorry, but I was just wondering what you were up to, sneaking around like that."

I took a few minutes for her to explain the plan to get Asuna to forgive Negi, by putting him in fake danger so she'll save him. "So, what do you think?"

"I think," he started slowly, "it's a great plan. Good luck!"

With that, he let Natsumi go and sank to the sea floor himself, all the better to watch the show without getting caught. And watch he did, as Asuna came to Negi's rescue in (fake) shark infested waters and split the sea itself to aid him.

Then she noticed the trick and stormed off. Afterwards, Naruto just floated on the water as Negi chased after the upset red-head, drifting away as he let his secondary element wash over him. He found it rather soothing actually.

* * *

It was night now, and Negi still hadn't made up with Asuna, much to Naruto's frustration. Apparently Ayaka was talking to Asuna about it, trying to smooth things over, for him, but that didn't stop Negi's moping. He and Naruto were once again sharing a room, only this time Naruto was actually awake when he felt Negi slide into the bed with him, mumbling how he couldn't sleep on his own.

'_Did he do this on the trip?_' Naruto asked himself, unsure. He had pretty much been dead to the world when he slept on the school trip, and always woke up after Negi, so it was possible he had snuck into his bed without Naruto knowing.

With a sigh, Naruto arranged himself so that Negi was only partially clinging to him. Negi was soon asleep, probably due to all the excitement of the day. Naruto was less lucky tonight, and so was still awake when he heard the knocking on the glass door.

It was Asuna, and she smiling at him cheekily. It was obvious that she was enjoying the sight of Negi clinging to someone else in his sleep.

Still, Naruto silently asked if she wanted Negi, and when she nodded, he kicked the poor boy awake, even as he pretended to be asleep. It would be good to give them their privacy after all.

Not that it mattered, as minutes later they were both loud enough to wake the whole island with their shouting. Smiling, Naruto fell asleep.

* * *

When he arrived back at the cottage, he found a frowning Eva, a displeased Chachamaru, and an upset Chachazero. _'Oops, forgot to tell them I was going somewhere.'_

"And where have you been?" Eva asked in a chilling voice. She was wearing glasses that he just knew were for effect, a thick book lay closed in front of her.

"Er," Naruto stalled, sweating. That gaze was nerve racking. "Well, I was with Negi and the class."

"And where were they?"

"A tropical island," he answered slowly.

"So, you've been to a tropical island?"

"Er, yes?"

"Very well," she continued frostily. "Why were we not informed?"

"Erm, forgot." Naruto answered lamely.

"Next time you are gone for an extended period of time, you _will_ inform us. Is that clear?"

Nodding his head Naruto agreed.

"Good. Now, sit down," she ordered, opening the book in front of her as he did so.

From here, Naruto could read the title. 'Demonic Rituals.'

'_Well, this will be an interesting conversation,_' thought Naruto.

* * *

Yeah, Naruto isn't always the best influence on people, getting Eva to play hooky. For some reason it seems that whenever I want comedy, Eva and Naruto interaction takes place. Weird.

Hmm, the whole Naruto explaining his childhood to Konoka and Setsuna thing, I hope that felt right. Oh, and yes, that was a blatant Take That at the Naruto suffers from child abuse portion of the fandom. I _hate_ that idea, especially as it is so prevalent among writers, with absolutely no canon basis. I dare anyone, no, I challenge them to show me a canon page from the manga, or even the anime that says he was beaten, and not just treated badly. I'll accept hinting, but it has to be heavily implied.

Also the whole idea that Naruto will think people see him as a monster. It is acceptable in stories set during Part 1, where he has, at most, 6 months to get used to the idea himself, any friends he has are new and a lot of Konoha has given him the impression that he wont be well received. In Part 2 however, he has had 3 full years to get used to it, and depending on whereabouts in the timeline, many if not all of his friends know and accept it like its nothing. If he has reason to believe he is somewhere he will not be well received, it is acceptable then too, but here in this story, he has witnessed them accept a half demon, a robot and a vampire without even blinking. He has no fear of rejection at all. However, I can still imagine it being a touchy subject to talk about, especially without reason. For example, if he thought the fox might begin to influence him, then he would tell them, but as already established earlier, Kyuubi is quite weak himself at the moment.

Ah, sorry for ranting, but it is something I hate with a passion.

Giving Eva a clue and not Setsuna, that's just him having fun. Besides, she'd be more likely to understand. Or would she? seeing as Setsuna's a half-demon, mumble mumble.

Eva starting out as a Wizard type is my interpretation, seeing as she has the body of a little girl when first learning magic, and while she has experience in hand-to-hand now, she probably wouldn't when she was just learning. Also, she has shown a more long ranged spell repertoire than short range, so this kind of supports my theory. Then again, she might have been a third type altogether. In the manga, she does say that she picked those two choices as the best for Negi, implying others.

Hmm, anything else? Oh yes, the third picture. Yes, it was mentioned in chapter 2 or 3: A New Home, I just didn't describe it. I'm sure most of you can guess the exact meaning of this, but for those who can't, I'm not going to spoil. It has been hinted at a few times though.

The Hiraishin, well, that's for later.

* * *

By the way, as my omakes may indicate, I'm a big Minato and Nagi fan, and while Nagi is constantly referred to as the strongest in Negima, Minato is mentioned less often. However, I gotta love the few mentions of him that are made. One of my favourites is said by one of the Raikage's guards. You know that Jutsu, the one that the Raikage uses to make his reflexes like lightning. Yeah, apparently that is on par with Minato's reflexes without special jutsu. Yeah, Minato's quick. As shall now be demonstrated:

Omake

When he was in front of the red haired man, Minato greeted him formally. With a bow, he said, "Greetings, I am Namikaze Minato, Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure. May I inquire as to your name?"

The other man just blinked in surprise, before throwing his head back and laughing. It took awhile, but Minato patiently waited for the man to calm down.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just, I didn't think there was anyone who wouldn't recognise me on sight. I'm Nagi Springfield, the Thousand Master." With that, he stuck out his hand, which Minato shook.

Obviously, this Nagi person didn't care about formalities, so Minato relaxed his speech a little. "Could you tell me where I am, or at least the fastest way to Konoha? I'm a bit lost."

"Sorry, never heard of it, and I've travelled all over this world." Nagi informed him.

Shoulders slumped, Minato began on his way once again, hoping for someone who could tell him what he wanted to know.

On his fist step though, he was stopped by the mans outstretched hand, blocking his path.

"Er, do you need something?" Minato asked warily, already knowing this would not end peacefully.

"Well, not really need, but I would like something."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"You."

"WHAT? What the hell!"

"No, no, not like that! I want to fight you!"

"Why should I?"

"Because, if you do, I might just help you."

"I thought you said you didn't know where Konoha was."

"True, I don't, but I know some people who might. I'll be happy to introduce you, but you'll have to fight me first. The better you do, the more inclined I'll be to help."

"And if I win?"

"Ha, if you win I'll declare you my boss and do whatever you say."

"Alright then, if I have to…"

And then they were trading blows. Neither knew how moved first, even as they cought the others first strike.

Nagi was surprised, both by the speed and power behind the physical blows. Power wise, he had the edge, if only barely. Speed on the other hand was obviously the blond's strength. Nagi had barely been able to make a move before Minato was already moving to dodge or block it, it was uncanny. It was no surprise when Minato landed the first proper blow, but Nagi was quick enough not to let him capitalize on it, and with a quick 'Instant Movement' appeared a few feet away.

"You're good," Nagi grinned, obviously enjoying himself.

In contrast, Minato's face was blank, waiting for the opponent to make the next move. Minato had been going at full speed in that last exchange, and if he had to guess, so had Nagi.

Suddenly, three glowing balls of light appeared around Nagi before shooting towards Minato, who quickly dodged, only to see a wave of lightning headed his way. With a few quick handseals that were finished in a fraction of a second, he had a Raikiri in the palm of his hand. With a swing of his arm, the wave of electricity was cut in half, rendering it completely ineffective. _'Huh, maybe Kakashi's skill is more useful than I thought.' _

Nagi watched as one of his favourite combinations was effortlessly dealt with, and couldn't stop the grin as his blond foe darted forward, hands flashing, when suddenly the ground Nagi was standing on fell through. It was completely ineffective though, seeing as he had begun to levitate as soon as he felt the tiny tremors in the ground. He enjoyed the brief look of surprise that appeared on his face, before it disappeared back into that blank mask.

Oh, this fight was so on!


	16. Past and Training

First of all, I've added a couple of scenes to the previous chapter, and corrected a couple of mistakes. You have Kyrial Arthian and Mr.-It-NAO to thank for the corrections and Vandenbz for the extra scenes, for he made me realize I'd forgotten the reaction shots. By the way, to Vandenbz, I never had Eva say Minato was stronger, you're thinking of another fic.

Be fore warned. Not a happy chapter.

Corrections - 13/09/10

* * *

Opening the book in front of her at a marked page, Eva began reading. "Jinchuuriki: powerful tools created in a demonic ritual involving the sacrifice of an infant." Snapping the book shut, she looked him in the eye. "How exactly does this relate to you?"

Naruto just stared for a moment, before chuckling. "I don't think I have ever heard anything that is so right and yet so wrong at the same time."

"Are you saying I am wrong?"

"No, not quite, it is all about perspective. All of what you've just said is true, in a sense. A child is sacrificed, they are seen as tools, and the process is definitely demonic. It is still completely wrong, however."

"Explain."

"Fine," he huffed, retrieving the large scroll from his room. He laid it open on the table, and she noticed the strange patterns that were all over the papers in his room. From what she could tell, the large scroll didn't have much left to hide. "Now now, which one is it?" he asked himself, before finally laying his hands on either side of the pattern, and with a puff of smoke, there lay a large pile of folders.

"What's this?" Eva asked, picking up the first of the ten folders, and one of the thickest. On the front was a picture of a red haired boy, 15 years old and with an odd tattoo on his forehead and strange marks around his eyes. Glancing at the next file, she spotted a picture of a blond woman, who looked to be in her mid-twenties.

"Those are files on the Jinchuuriki, or at least the latest ones. I fought hard for this information, negotiating with foreign leaders, deceiving them if necessary and even out-right espionage, infiltrating and stealing the files from friends and foes alike."

"Why would you do that, and what does it have to do with this boy?"

"I did it because I've always wanted to know. And what does it have to do with Gaara? Everything, considering he _is_ a Jinchuuriki, well was, though I would appreciate you not use that term unless necessary."

"Huh? But I thought they were weapons or tools."

"Only as much as any other ninja, who were considered tools for their country to use and discard as they saw fit. I have always disagreed, and have never once thought of people as tools, ninja or Jinchuuriki."

She made no comment to that, and so Naruto continued. "You said it was a demonic ritual involving child sacrifice, right? That is technically correct. Jinchuuriki are created when a demon, one of nine called Bjuu, beasts that have a different number of tails to indicate power, is put into a child. The oldest person to become a Jinchuuriki was an adult, while the youngest hadn't even been born yet. From that point on, they were treated as less than human, emotionless weapons to be used as the state dictates, feared for their power, plus a whole load of other things, depending on the demon. They all had their own reason for creation as you'll read in the files, ranging from mass destruction to defence. Each one had their own distinctive marking, purpose, and special abilities, yet each one shared the same lonely life."

Seeing the slightly sympathetic gleam in her eyes, Naruto went on. "For example, my markings are these whiskers, my purpose is defence, and one of my powers is high speed regeneration. I once had an entire arm put through my chest, here," he indicated, putting his hand over the right side of his chest, just below the collar bone, "and it was healed within seconds."

"Gaara had black eye markings, his purpose was mass destruction, and his main ability was free manipulation of sand."

"Whenever we were deemed dangerous to our village, or no longer useful, the Bjuu was extracted and placed into a successor. I am the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, the strongest of the Bjuu. My mother was my predecessor in this regard, and died when the Kyuubi was extracted from her by an enemy; the seal had weakened due to my birth, and someone decided to utilise that weakness to take control of the Kyuubi. She died hours after I was born; among a dozen other reasons, it was put into me to maintain the balance. This cycle of moving the Bjuu from one host to the next continued for over 80 years, until someone decided they wanted the Bjuu for themselves and began collecting them, killing the hosts."

"In those files, you will find all the information you could ever want about Jinchuuriki, including how each host was treated, their special skills, their personality, pictures, mission statements, everything. It will also give a little information about the Tailed Beasts themselves, though not as much. You'll also note that there is more information on the one, eight and nine tailed hosts, because those are the ones I've met previously."

"In all honesty, I find the term Jinchuuriki demeaning. I am no less human than any other person, and yet it is like I am something else." With a big breath, Naruto finished. "Well, I think that's everything. Any questions?"

"I-I don't even know where to begin."

"Yeah, well, it is a lot to take in."

Eva took a few moments to sort her thoughts, before asking the thing she was most interested in, and the whole reason she had been researching in the first place. "I want to hear about your personal experiences as a Jinchuuriki."

"Fine." He groaned. "Ah well, where to begin? On the night I was born, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, strongest of the nine tailed beasts, attacked my village. Although we didn't know it at the time, it was being controlled, though there were suspicions. It was only when I spoke to the man who personally fought the Kyuubi and the person controlling him that it was confirmed. That man, my father Namikaze Minato, gave his life to seal the Kyuubi into me, saving the village."

"His last wish was that I be seen as a hero, but that did not happen. Instead I was an outcast, feared and seen as a demon instead of its container, a common occurrence with civilians. They hated me, glaring at me as I walked past, told their children to stay away because I was dangerous, whispering about me behind my back, laughing at my failures and jeering my successes. For a long time, I was angry and hated them; I was alone and nobody seemed to truly care. I didn't even know anything about the Kyuubi within me at that point, nobody my age knew."

"It was a law made by an old man, the Hokage who I looked up to. He was trying to protect me, making it law that to no one could talk about the fox in my gut. He did it so that those who were my age wouldn't know and I could live a semi-normal life. Even to this day I am thankful for it. It may not have worked as well as he had hoped, but he tried."

"I acted out, trying to get attention in anyway I could, anything to stop the cold looks. I was just a sad and lonely little boy," he sighed. "When I found out about the fox, all the hate, all the cold glances began to make sense to me, and I was in shock. But then someone showed me that they truly cared about me, and I fought for them. I began making real friends for the first in my life, and I was happy. They didn't know about the fox though, not until much later, and even then they accepted me."

"Most of this is in the file I wrote about myself," he told her, pointing to the pile, "so you can read it in more detail there," he finished. "Now, I've told you about me. I want to know more about you."

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well, I know a little already, but the explanation I got from Eishun was bare-bones and spotty at best. I want to hear it from your own mouth, in detail, how you became a vampire, how you got such a frightening reputation, and finally, exactly how you got stuck here."

"Why should I tell you that?" she spat at him with a glare.

"Because, you know all about my past, I think it's only fair that you tell me about yours."

"Very well," she agreed, "I will tell you all about the rise and fall of the Dark Mage Evangeline!"

"It began in the middle ages, though I doubt that will mean much to you. I lived a carefree life in a castle…

* * *

**Flashback**

A golden haired girl ran along the halls of the castle, one of the servants chasing her. The girl was laughing as she ran, a stark contrast to grumbling servant.

Though the girl was young, 9 years old, and therefore not very fast, this particular female servant was not exactly in shape herself, and while she was thin, she had no leg muscle. She was thin, practically bones, had light brown hair with the first traces of premature gray, and cold gray eyes. She was also one of the least strict maids in the castle, something that the other servants always had a good chuckle out of.

Running as fast as she could, the young blond only just kept out of the servants grasp. She was finally caught when she tripped, scratching her knee. The young girl began to sniff, holding back tears. She was a daughter of nobility, she wouldn't cry from this.

Grabbing her by the hand, the maid began to pull the girl back into her room. The golden haired child struggled, but while the maid's legs were weak, her hands were not. Her vice like grip stopped the girl from fleeing.

"Come on Evangeline," the servant chastised. "We have to get you ready for dinner. There are visitors tonight. What would they think if they saw you like this, hmm?"

"They'd think thusly. 'What a marvellous child, I wish my children were like her.'" She answered haughtily.

"Come on Evangeline!" the servant urged again, stripping the girl.

"Who are the guests?" she asked.

"A General and one of his advisors, I think. We servants aren't told much you know."

"I know Mrs. Briain. Never mind."

"Now, this is an important visit, so you know the rules."

"Yes," she whined.

Mrs. Briain went over them anyway, while Evangeline mouthed along. "No talking unless addressed first. Always have a polite smile." This went on for several minutes as the blond girl was dressed in her best dress. It was a deep blue, which her mother said brought out her eyes.

This process of being prepared for a special dinner was normal for Evangeline A.K. IngenDowell. It had happened rather often in her life, usually three times a month. The only reason she was so petulant today was because this unexpected visit was overshadowing something far more important (in her opinion at least). Her birthday was tomorrow, and this general had stolen all of her father's attention. She had been hoping to spend some time with both him and mother on her birthday, but that seemed impossible now.

Her father had been particularly busy recently; she hadn't spoken to him in weeks, and hadn't even seen him in days.

She was therefore sulking as Mrs. Briain combed her hair. It was at this point that the door opened. She couldn't turn her head right now, but the sound of their voices caused her to smile.

"Well well, looks like someone's getting ready for tomorrow, but I'm afraid to tell you it's a bit early for that," the first voice said.

"Not really," the other cut in. "She needs to start now if she wants look pretty for tomorrow, I mean, there's so much work to be done."

"We can't all look as girly as you!" Evangeline called back, turning once Mrs. Briain had finished combing her hair.

She regarded her two brothers with a smile. The eldest at 18, Aongus C.S MacDowell shared his sister's features of blond hair and blue eyes, but the face took more from their father, while Evangeline's took from her mother.

The younger brother was another matter entirely. Pilip R.D. MacDowell, age 15, shared his fathers light brown hair, and while the whole family had blue eyes, his could easily be mistaken for gray. However, his face was best described as beautiful, and he'd been mistaken for a pretty girl on more than one occasion. At least once he had had to expose himself to prove his gender, to his sibling's endless amusement.

Both were wearing some of their finest clothes, Aongus in red and Pilip in green.

Pilip looked affronted, but she could see laughter in his eyes. Aongus was chuckling openly. "Serves you right!" he said.

"Hmph!" the younger brother ignored the older, causing him to laugh louder, as well as set off Evangeline giggling herself.

She loved her brothers, even more than she loved her parents, truth to tell. Whenever they could, they were always together, though with them getting more involved in political affairs, they had less and less time for her.

"Come now Eva, we have this insignificant dinner to attend," the brown haired teen said.

"-and then tomorrow we can truly celebrate!" Aongus finished.

She followed her brothers down the halls, chatting as they went, before finally they slowly drifted into silence as they approached the dining hall.

Once their presence had been announced, they dutifully filed in and took their respective positions.

Soon the general and his advisor were admitted, and dinner began. Silently she ate, her head bowed as quiet conversation took place along the table. She was expected to keep silent unless directly addressed.

At some point during the dinner, she peeked up and spotted something that would have made most noble girls shiver. The advisor was staring at her, like he was measuring her up. He was very pale, she noticed, and his eyes looked off.

She ducked down after that. It wasn't like she was worried. Besides being a little too young to be considered for marriage, she knew her brothers would put a stop to it if she opposed it, no matter what her father may say.

As the night dragged on, she began to feel sleepy. Someone must of noticed this, and she was dismissed from the table, before she feel asleep on it.

* * *

When she woke up, it was to the bitter taste of blood in her mouth and the sight of two dead men. She screamed, but no one heard her. She wasn't in her room, and it was cold and isolated.

Trembling, she rose and fled for the door. When she passed through a sunbeam though, she felt pain, a burning sensation that ripped a scream from her throat. Looking over her body, she noticed her skin was red, like it had been sunburned, but it quickly healed before her eyes.

Scared and confused, '_What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?_' she collapsed on the floor and began to sob.

Eventually, she heard footsteps. Looking up, she found herself alone with the general and his advisor. She didn't remember their names, after all, why should she even bother.

"Looks like it worked," the general said.

"You doubted me?"

"No, not at all."

"Thank you, my Lord," he bowed. Crouching next to the tear-stained girl, the pale man explained to her what was happening.

"I've made you into a marvelous creature, you'll see. It might be a bit of an adjustment at first, but to adapt is key to survival. I've turned you into a vampire!" he exclaimed. "Strength, speed, immortality. Isn't that great?"

Crying and fearful, Evangeline lashed out, sending the man flying. She fled. Running through the halls, she fought back tears every time the light touched her.

She came across her eldest brother. He tried to grab her in, find out what was wrong and calm her down, but in her panic she pushed past him. In horror, she watched as he flew through the air, and hit the wall, barely conscious and bleeding. She looked down on her own hands in horror, as it sank in she really wasn't human anymore.

She looked once more into his eyes, silently apologizing as she turned to run again.

She ended up in the chapel, where she collapsed. The servants had seen her display, and they had been terrified.

She stayed there until _he_ came, the man who had made her like this, the general not far behind.

"Now now, no need to be afraid. We'll take good care of you," he was telling her.

She ignored him. It was all too much, to fast, and she didn't understand. But what she did know was this: he was the one who had done this to her, made her a monster.

Infuriated, she leapt forward and killed him, faster than either he or the general could react. Pulling his sword in response, the general stabbed her through. The pain didn't matter to her, not to this body, and she forced herself closer to the general. Reaching out, she grabbed his head and pulled him closer. Instinctually, she ripped his throat out and began to drink.

That was how the priest saw her, as well as several servants and Pilip, a sword through her belly and face covered in blood.

"Monster!" he shouted. "Demon!" the priest yelled again, holding up the cross as if to ward her off. Having no need to kill this person, or want to kill at all, she ran and hid, knowing that to venture the day time sun would be suicide. No one followed. Luckily it was winter, and so from what she could tell, it would be dark soon.

She found a spot, hidden away in the dark stables. It was a favorite place of hers, were she would go when she wanted to be alone. No one else knew of it, at least to her knowledge. It was her best chance of staying hidden until she could flee.

In that dark place, she despaired. She had killed, she was a monster, and worse of all she had hurt her brother. She cried herself to sleep.

Yelling awoke her as the doors slammed shut and the wooden bolt slid into place, locking the door.

"Come on, Eva!" Aongus called.

"That's right, now's not the time to be hiding away!" Pilip agreed.

Peeking out of her hiding place, she found her brothers. Both were bloody and breathing heavily, weapons drawn. Aongus was bracing the door, while Pilip was searching the floor.

Pounding answered her unasked question of why her brother was at the door, as she heard the shouting from beyond, demanding her life.

"Wha… What's happening?"

"Well, it seems you are no longer human, killed two visiting dignitaries, and now they want you dead. We weren't sure we agreed with that last part, so we came here to save you."

"Wha? How did you know were I was."

Pilip gave her a flat look. "We've _always_ known you came here. We just thought it was best for you to have a place you could be alone sometimes, so never disturbed you.

"Why are you saving me? I _am_ a monster, and I _did_ kill those people."

"Never said you didn't, but I think you had your reasons. Besides, those guys were creepy bastards, right Pilip?" Aongus laughed.

"Yep!"

"But I hurt you!"

"Not much," the blond man dismissed. "Besides, you looked so sorry about it. I forgive you," he added. "Like I could hold a grudge."

"Found it!" Pilip called, pulling open a trap door.

"Good job pretty boy! Now, Eva, run."

"Wha…?"

"You heard him. Down the hole you go. Just follow the corridor, second exist should be fine." Pilip said, handing her his favorite white cloak. "For warmth." He told her simply.

"I don't understand, why are you helping me!" she asked as she began to climb down.

"Because, you're our little sister and we love you; we don't need another reason. Now good bye Eva, live a long and happy life," Pilip told her, pushing her through the trap door.

"What he said!" she heard Aongus call just as the door slammed shut.

Crying, she fled.

**Flashback end**

**

* * *

**

"Three weeks later, I learned that my brothers had been put to the death by the church for helping a creature of the night. After that, I began to call myself MacDowell, in my brothers' remembrance."

"Living was difficult at first; I had all the weaknesses of a normal vampire's body, and none of my power. With much time and effort, I overcame my weaknesses and continued on."

"The age of witch hunts was rather troublesome, seeing as with this un-aging bodying I couldn't stay in one place for more than a few years before people became suspicious. Though at times I didn't leave quickly enough, and I was caught. You won't know what happened to 'witches', will you? They were burned alive. I must have been caught and burned at least half-a-dozen times, always surviving and carrying on, hoping I wouldn't be caught next time. Do you know what it feels like to be burned alive?" she asked rhetorically, but was surprised when he answered.

"Yes, at least in a sense. Your skin burning away, the searing heat, I know it well." He told her, eyes burning. It was obvious hearing her story was making him angry.

When she looked at him questioningly, he said, "It's all in my file. Please continue with your story."

Nodding, she did so. "I searched everywhere for somewhere to belong, but even the villages and cities of Mages didn't want me, and I was cast out. I continued to wander."

With a breath she continued. "Sometimes I had to kill to survive and there were years were I didn't have to kill anyone. I guess it was during this time I killed the wrong person, and I got a bounty. Eventually I settled on an island in the south seas, and lived life alone. The only people who ever came were after my life, and so I killed them. Why they came, I don't know, but all of them had the resolution to fight and take my life, so I did not hesitate to take theirs. Over time, things got easier, the killing, the solitude, it became the norm for me, and so I continued on," she finished.

"I still don't understand how that got you the reputation of an evil mage," he stated.

"Ha, I killed so many people I can't even remember anymore. It's no wonder they fear me. I'm a blood sucking killer."

"Yeah, I suppose you are," he softly said, patting her on the head. "But I don't think that matters anymore."

"What are you saying? I'm a murderer!"

"Though I can't say I agree with killing for revenge, killing in defence is different. You're not the only person who's taken a life in self-defence in this room." He calmly told her.

"Well, yes, Chachazer-" she began, before looking Naruto straight in the eye. "You mean yourself, don't you?"

"Yes."

There was sombre moment of silence after that, as Eva took that in. "How many have you killed?" she finally asked.

"That is a difficult question. I could probably count the number of people I've killed on my fingers, and then only technically."

"Technically?" she asked, frowning in confusion.

"This might be hard to explain. I've never killed, but at the same time I have." Seeing Eva about to ask a question, he stopped her. "Let me explain. My first kill would be a man named Uchiha Itachi. With a little help, I hit him with an Oodama Rasengan, killing him instantly. However, that turned out to be an imposter. Their body was not under their own control, seeing as he was dead, just a corpse on puppet strings. And if his body was somehow alive, his mind was almost certainly dead. So I technically killed him, but not really. The attempt was there though, and I think that's all that matters. All my kills were similar, either someone else finished them off, or they were already lost and I just didn't know it at the time."

"My friends have killed, my teachers have killed, and I have killed. If what you say is true, and you killed in self defence, I'm not going to think any less of you, because then I'll be thinking less of myself and all my friends."

"We who have taken life don't deserve happiness." Eva said sadly.

"I disagree," Naruto told her, shaking his head. "Everyone deserves happiness; we just have to fight for it."

"Violence begets violence." She pointed out.

"Only if they come to us first."

Eva just nodded her head to that.

"One day we will find happiness, and in some ways I already have." Naruto stated.

"Huh, what do you mean?"

"I don't know about you, but I kind of like it here, its fun. Don't you think so? Negi, Asuna and the rest, they're fun."

"Not really, they're just carefree children who don't know what they want or even understand what they say. The only one even remotely interesting is Negi and Satsuki."

"Oh, and what about me? Am I a child as well?"

"Most of the time," she told him with a smirk, "but at least you have some experience with what you're saying, unlike some of those girls who spout nonsense."

"Thanks Eva-chan," he told her softly. "Now, finish your story," he asked her sweetly.

"I already have."

"No, you've told me about the rise of the Dark Mage. Now I want to hear about the fall."

Looking into Naruto's eyes, she knew he would continue to dig until he knew. "Chachamaru, bring out the wine," she ordered. "If I'm going to talk about this, I would rather do it drunk." After the robot maid had gone to procure the wine, Eva turned her attention back to the blond. "What about you, how did you end up sealed in the World Tree?"

"I don't remember telling you I was sealed."

"And I told you I would be checking your story of being over 3500 years old with the headmaster."

"Fair enough. I was sealed someone who wanted to extract the Kyuubi. The reason is in the files. This is how it happened. From there he told them what he told Negi and Eishun, being tricked and surprised by his enemy. About half way through his story, Chachamaru arrived with the wine, and they both began to drink.

Afterward Naruto had finished his tale, Eva stared hard at the bottle for a few minutes, before putting it to her lips and taking a few deep gulps. Slamming it onto the table, she began. "I've never told anyone this. Negi knows at least a little, and only because he spied on my dreams. Asuna is the same; she only knows what Negi has told her. But that was only my humiliating defeat. They don't know how it started, my love for Nagi Springfield."

"What happened?"

"I was out in the world one day, and got on the wrong side of a nearby town. I decided to run instead of killing them all. I jumped off a cliff in order to escape, intending to just float away. Until _he_ appeared. He'd jumped off the cliff after me and caught me. I was stunned, and curious. He fed me and I decided to stick around. For two months I followed him, learning more about him. In such a short time, I fell in love."

"He was mummy's type, bright and carefree, the kind of person that would say and do things simply because he thought it was best." Zero added.

"That's right!" Eva yelled, rather drunk at his point. Naruto was only marginally behind her.

"Then he abandoned me, said I was a bother and disappeared. Just because I followed him everywhere he went, he thought of me as a bother!"

"Disgraceful!" Naruto shouted.

"Like I was going to let him get away! It took a lot of time and effort, but I found him. Unfortunately, he was ready for me, and with a simple pitfall trap lined with garlic and onion, he caught me. Momentarily dazed, we argued. He called me a brat, and when I corrected him, he called me old. That bastard, I'm not old! After that, he told me that if I stopped chasing him, he would forgive me. I refused. After that, he decided to trap me here with a powerful spell."

"Oh, and he promised me he'd be back for graduation to release me, but he never returned. That bastard! And and, you know what the worst part is? He found someone else and had a kid," she wailed. "Did our time together mean nothing!"

It was rather obvious she was fighting back tears, and Naruto found himself stumbling towards her, still slightly tipsy but the sight of an upset little girl catapulting him to sobriety. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her into a tight hug. This was not how he expected the day to go. It wasn't even 6 o'clock yet! Sure, Naruto had expected Eva to be a little upset and possibly angry when re-telling her defeat, but this was a bit much. Naruto made a note to not tell sad stories and drink with her ever again

He didn't know how to handle this, he'd never had to comfort a spurned girl before, and so he settled for making vague comments hoping to make her feel better, stroking her hair and rubbing her back.

It seemed to work after a few minutes, as she slowly backed off.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked softly.

She turned to him with a murderous glare and tear stained eyes. It seems she finally realized what she was doing. "If you ever tell _anyone_ about this, I _will_ kill you. Vampire's promise," he told him darkly. Naruto couldn't tell if she meant it or not, which was frightening.

"Got it," he muttered weakly.

With one last glare, she stumbled up to her room, grabbing the left over wine on the way.

"If you want," Naruto slowly began, "when I meet the guy, I'll give him a punch in the face for you and Negi. Abandoning you both like that, he deserves it."

"Ha, I think I'd like to see that," she told him, before ascending the last few steps and disappearing from view.

Once she was out of sight, Naruto collapsed onto a nearby chair. Chachamaru was quickly by his side, giving him a glass of water which he quickly gulped down. "Thanks Cha-chan. Well, that could have gone better," he muttered with a weak grin.

"True," she told him bluntly. "However, I am surprised mother told you as much as she did. This is the first time she has spoken about her life to anyone at all."

"She's going to be a mess in the morning, isn't she? Negi's coming over too."

"Yes."

"What was she going to do anyway?"

"Mother was going to show him her special resort, but beyond that I do not know."

"Resort?"

"A special device that, as long as you are within it, speeds up time by a factor of 24, meaning that for everyday spent inside, only one hour has passed in the outside world."

"Cool! That sounds really useful."

"Indeed."

"Well, if Eva's going to be out of it, I'll take care of Negi for the day. I may not be able to teach him like Chibi-chan, but I'm sure he won't mind a single day, if that."

"I see. Would you like me to prepare the resort for you?"

"Sure, why not? But first, I think we should help Chibi-chan. That drinking can't be healthy."

"What do you suggest?"

"Were going to swap the wine for something else of course."

"She will notice the change." Chachamaru pointed out.

"True. We're going to need something red and wine tasting, or at least tasty enough that she won't care."

Both puppet and robot stared at him.

"What?"

"In your absence, mother asked for more of the blood served with the rabbit stew, saying it was one of the tastiest samples she had ever had, and expressed want for more. She was rather disappointed when told that more was impossible at the time."

"You want to give her more of my blood, don't you?"

"Yes."

"I'm not sure…" Naruto began.

"Please," Zero pleaded, using the cutest eyes it could muster.

"Fine," Naruto relented. It was hard to say no to that look after all, even from a puppet.

Quickly and efficiently, the process of transferring Naruto's blood to the bottle was done, leaving the bottle a quarter full with blood. This time, not willing to wait as long, Naruto put even more chakra to the cut, and his skin was soon flawless again.

Chachamaru quickly managed to swap the two bottles without Eva noticing, and she watched as her mother took a swig. There was no immediate reaction though, but as she took another swig, Chachamaru noticed her mother give the bottle a strange look, before she gleefully began guzzling the rest of the blood down. With a wide smile, her mother drifted off, content.

Downstairs was another story though, with Naruto still wide awake and now no longer even close to intoxicated.

"So you are a weapon?" Zero was asking.

"Not really, I was more of a shield, but I don't appreciate you referring to me as a thing."

"Why not? Both me and Chachamaru are things."

"I wouldn't say that. The both of you can think and feel for yourselves, right? And you still call Chibi-chan mother, even though she told you not to, right? That takes will, which makes you more than a mere thing."

"We do it because it makes mother happy."

"And that is a choice. Like I said, more than just a thing or a tool, remember that."

"If you say so Naruto-sama," Zero replied, looking mildly uncomfortable. Chachamaru didn't respond at all. It was obvious neither were entirely convinced.

* * *

_Knock knock._ Naruto awoke this morning to the sound of metal hitting wood. Moments later, Chachamaru poked her head through the gap in the door. "Naruto-sensei, Negi-sensei has arrived," she informed him.

"Hurgumph," was the sound that came from Naruto's bed.

"Please Naruto, Negi-sensei is waiting." She patiently told him.

With a groan, Naruto slowly began to get up and dressed, grabbing some documents as he went. He found Negi waiting for him with Cha-chan and Zero.

"This way," Cha-chan said once he had arrived. With that, the robotic girl began to lead the way downstairs.

Naruto had only really been here once before, when he was bored and decided exploring would be a good idea. He hadn't found much, only lots of unmoving dolls. Now however, there was something down there. It looked like a glass sphere with a large model within.

"This is the resort. Inside, time moves faster by a factor of 24. Meaning that for every hour outside, one day has passed inside. Once you enter, you cannot leave for one full day. Only one hour will pass out here though. Is this acceptable?"

"Amazing," Negi breathed, nodding his head.

"Yep, fine with me," Naruto agreed.

"To enter the resort, just stand here," she indicated the general area of the model. "I have duties to see to, so am unable to accompany you. Chachazero will act as your guide," she informed them, hand over said doll to Naruto.

Stepping forward, Naruto's feet were engulfed in light, and he quickly began to fade away.

Negi followed moments later.

As soon as Naruto arrived within the resort, he let his eyes roam. He was on a large pillar high up in the air. All around it was the sea far below, and one bridge that connected it to a large structure, much like the pillar he was one, but with a much larger diameter.

Quickly, Zero hopped down from his arms. "Ah, it feels good to walk again," she happily stated, stretching.

"Huh, I thought you couldn't move?"

"I'll explain as soon as Negi arrives," she told them. Luckily they didn't have to wait long, as the seal on the ground began to glow and Negi appeared.

He too looked around the resort. "It really is incredible," he gushed.

"Yep," Zero chirped. "Now let me show you around a little. All questions will be answered after the tour."

That said, she began to make her way over the bridge, leading them towards the main area. Most of it was simply a large courtyard with a single spire in the middle. Surrounding the courtyard were lots of small pillars, connected at the top, circling around the entire area. On the far side they found a gazebo full with food, where Naruto placed his papers. Taking a quick look around, Naruto noticed two staircases leading downwards. Obviously there was more to this resort than was readily apparent.

Soon, Zero was leading them down one of the stairways, and proceeded to show them the essential areas, like the bath, the toilet and the bedrooms. It was a rather large resort, and it took them almost half an hour to finish, before they once again found themselves at in the courtyard.

"Now, any questions?" she asked.

"Yeah, what's down the other stairway?"

"That would be mummy's library. We're not allowed down there without permission," she informed him.

"Oh," Naruto shrugged. "We'll just have to check it out later then."

"Ahh, she said master doesn't want us down there!"

"So?"

"So we shouldn't go down there."

"Boooriiing," Naruto drawled.

"We shouldn't get her angry!"

"Why not, it's fun. She makes the best angry face I've ever seen! Besides, it's fun, and it's not like she'll stop training you. Hell, she might even praise you for taking the initiative."

"I don't know…"

"It's fine. We'll do it after training, if you want."

"Umm, why are you training me today?"

"Ah, well. Last night, Eva had a little too much to drink, and will probably have a hang-over when she wakes up. To spare her from that, I volunteered to train you today. I hope you don't mind too much."

"No, no, it's just…"

"Yeah, I know, I can't _teach_ teach you, but I can at least help you train a little."

Negi nodded his head in agreement.

"Now, I don't know what Chibi-chan had planned, but I think we'll start with a spar." Naruto informed him, getting in to his own stance. "Don't hold back now, spells and all!"

"Wha, but!"

"No 'buts'. I'll be coming full force in five, four," he began to count down.

"Wait, aren't spells a little much! I could seriously-" Negi began, before being sent flying from a punch to the face, quickly flowed by a sharp kick to the ribs that sent him flying in another direction.

Naruto waited a moment for the boy to recover. Negi did so slowly, clutching his now sore ribs and spitting out some blood. His right cheek was already swelling from the blow, and his ribs would definitely be bruised after this.

"Understand this, Negi." Naruto began. His voice had a hard edge to it and his face was serious. "I am not like Chachamaru who will hold back because she doesn't want to hurt you too badly. I am not some lightweight who you can underestimate so much either, not even taking a fighting stance or preparing yourself at all. I've been training to fight for as long as you've been alive. Seeing you stand there spluttering about how you could seriously hurt me is like an insult. Underestimating me like that, tch. Did I ever tell you how much I hate to be underestimated?"

"I have stared down a demon that stood hundreds of feet tall that would like nothing better than to eat me, and told it to go screw itself. I have looked into eyes that could literally burn me into cinders with a thought, and caused them to blink. Even now, with less than half my strength, you are nothing compared to me, but that is what we're here for, right? Now, assume a form, or I will beat you until you can no longer stand."

Nodding in understanding and not a little awe/fright, Negi assumed a Kung Fu form, raised his magical barrier, and imbued himself with magic to speed up his movements and increase his strength.

"Good!" Naruto called, speeding up to, and throwing a punch at Negi, which was deftly parried, followed by a counter that Naruto dodged. The close combat continued for awhile, Naruto pressing Negi, until he finally made a mistake, whereupon Naruto struck mercilessly.

The fifth time this happened Negi disengaged himself from the fight. The blows had hurt, but thanks to his barrier the damage inflicted was minimal.

When Negi once again threw himself into the fight, Naruto immediately repelled him, throwing him at least thirty feet back. "I thought I said spells were allowed too," he reminded Negi, frowning. "That would have been a perfect opportunity to attack me with a spell from afar, right? Oh well, I guess I'll just have to get started then." With that, he sped towards Negi, making hand-seals as he went.

Negi tried to counter, but Naruto simply ducked underneath. _"Fuuton: Kuudan,"_ Naruto called as he clapped his hands together, and suddenly Negi was hit by two high pressured gusts of wind, knocking him back.

Gasping for breath due to one of them striking his stomach, Negi struggled to recover. Luckily, Naruto allowed him to do so. Negi took the opportunity, and began incanting. Naruto closed in now, intending to interrupt, but Negi managed to parry the blow. Summoning 17 Magical Arrows, he fired them all at once, forcing Naruto to retreat. Nevertheless, Naruto dodged them all, even from close range.

"Better!" Naruto encouraged, flinging himself at Negi once again. "But can you do it again?" he laughed.

This continued for some time, Negi using both spells and Kung Fu to hold back Naruto's assault, while Naruto himself attacked only in Tai-Jutsu, the only chakra he used was when Negi attempted to get some breathing room using the spell he used against Chigusa, Dancing Dust, a spell that sends a powerful wind in a single direction. Naruto stuck in place using chakra directed to his feet, and lunged. Surprised, Naruto landed another solid hit to Negi, sending him back.

Finally Naruto ended it with his favourite Jutsu, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Creating three clones, one grabbed his wrist, and with a spin, flung him at Negi, meanwhile the other clones rushed forward in a pincer.

Meanwhile, Negi began to chant the incantation for his White Lightning spell, fully intending to strike Naruto with it. He was just finishing when the first two Naruto clones attacked, which he weaved around, and with a palm thrust, directly hit the thrown Naruto with his spell.

Negi could see how the magic infused with Naruto, causing him to glow and scream, lightning dancing off his fingers. He fell to the ground, before turning to Negi, and with a shaky thumbs-up, proclaimed, "I win," before bursting into smoke. Momentarily stunned, Negi was surprised when a fist came flying through the smoke, finally breaking his already strained barrier and knocking him to the ground, a position from which he could not move.

"Cor! Amazing!" Zero called from the sidelines where she had been watching the spectacle.

"How?" Negi asked, panting. He'd never been this physically exhausted before, and his magical reserves weren't faring much better.

"When I created the clones, I didn't throw myself, but one of the clones. It was a decoy. You were so focused on the initial three, you forgot about the fourth me. I had no trouble rushing towards you unnoticed, and when the clone went poof, I attacked in the smoke's cover." Naruto explained, standing over the downed Negi.

"Simple- distraction," Negi rasped out.

"Yep! Sometime simple works, and sometimes you need something more complex," Naruto began to lecture. "It all depends on the opponent though. For example, if your enemy has a complex strategy, if you do something surprising and simple, it forces them to change their plans, even if only slightly. Do it enough and the plan will fall apart. Maybe," he added. "On the other hand, sometimes an overarching plot is necessary to achieve your goals. This works both on and off the battlefield. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Negi replied.

"Good. Now, are you ready for another round?"

"What! You gotta be kiddin Naru-nii, already? Give the kid a break!" Chamo cut in.

"Fine," Naruto pouted.

"How are you still ready to go anyway?"

"Ah, well, I've always had stamina. Besides, I've really needed this, a good work out. I've gotten a little lax with my training lately, and this was exactly what I've been looking for. I think I'll have to join you every time you come."

"If that is your wish," Eva agreed from nowhere.

Spinning around, Naruto found both Eva and Chachamaru in the resort. The latter was simply standing at the courtyards edge. Meanwhile, Eva was floating just to her left, looking down on Naruto and Negi.

"Hey! I thought you couldn't use magic!" Naruto accused. Negi nodded his head in agreement.

"Due to the high concentration of magic here I can use magic just fine, though at nowhere near my normal amount. Didn't Chachazero explain this to you?"

"Not really."

"Didn't you wonder why she could walk?"

"Well, yeah, and I did ask, but she didn't answer at the time, and so I just sorta forgot…"

"Imbeciles. Fine, I'll explain it to you. This resort is saturated in magic, meaning that spells are easier to use, I can use magic, and Chachamaru can move under her own power."

"Fair enough." Naruto nodded.

"Amazing."

"I'm glad you think so, boya."

"Er, I do have one question though," Negi added nervously. "Weren't you supposed to be hung-over?"

Eva bristled.

"Oh yeah. It can't have been more than 10 minutes in the outside world. How are you alright?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "The last thing I remember was threatening you, and then a vague sense of deliciousness before drifting off. When I awoke, I felt incredible. Then I found out you had stolen my apprentice and rushed here," she glared.

"I thought you were going to be out of it for half the morning," Naruto defended himself. "Can you please come down to eye level?" he asked.

"Hmm, why?"

"Because I can see your panties," he said in a sing song voice. Eva descended immediately.

Closer to the both of them, Eva grew annoyed at Negi, who was still lying on the floor. "Get up boya, and properly greet your master."

Slowly, he did so, and Eva got a good look at her apprentices' face. His cheek was swollen, his nose was bloody, and unless she was mistaken, he was going to have at least one black eye in the morning.

Chachamaru quickly rushed to the teacher, fussing over his face, while Eva turned to a nervous Naruto.

"Don't hold back much, do you?" she commented.

Naruto relaxed, but only slightly. "He refused to take me seriously. I had to show him not to take me lightly. After the first two hits he had his barrier up, so it wasn't as bad. The only proper hit after that was when I broke his barrier at the end," Naruto explained.

Nodding her head, she dismissed him. "Now boya, about your tuition fee…"

"Fee?"

"Yes, fee. What, did you expect me to teach you for free? You if you want something from an evil mage, you must learn to pay the price!" she yelled, rising up slightly into the air, causing Naruto to roll his eyes at the theatrics. Understood?"

"Yes!" Negi squeaked.

"Good, good. Are you ready to pay?" she asked as she touched back down on the ground.

"Hai."

"Excellent," she breathed, leaning down into him. "Then allow me to suck your blood," she continued, and just when she was about to clamp her teeth around him and suck, she was pulled back, causing her jaws to close with an audible snap.

"What!" she snapped at Naruto, who was holding her up at eye level by her collar.

"Don't you think you should let him rest first? Or, I don't know, ask his permission."

"Nonsense, why would he say no?"

"Why should he say yes?"

"Because, unless I have blood, my magical batteries wouldn't recharge and I'll be unable to properly teach him."

"I don't mind," Negi cut in.

"You don't?" Eva and Naruto asked simultaneously.

"If it's in order to get stronger, I don't mind," he repeated.

"Are you sure about this Aniki?" Chamo asked.

"Yes," Negi assured his companion.

"Alright," Naruto relented. "But I at least think you should wait until he's rested."

Grudgingly, Eva agreed. "You have another ten minutes to rest," she told Negi. "After that, training will begin."

Nodding, Naruto and Negi headed for the gazebo, hoping for a drink. As Negi sat down, Naruto grabbed two glasses and poured them both some water. Naruto watched as Negi downed the liquid, grab a refill and down that as well, wincing as he did so.

"Hey Negi," Naruto began slowly. "I hope you don't think I was being too hard on you."

"Not at all! If it's to get stronger, I'll endure anything. Actually, I wanted to thank you for pushing me so hard. It felt really good to go all out like that."

"Well, good," Naruto replied, slightly surprised.

"Alright boya, it's time to start your lesson." Eva told him a few minutes later. "But first," she said, grabbing his arm and biting into it with no real warning. Whimpering, Negi endured. Once she was done, she released him, licking her lips as she did so. "Hmm, delicious."

* * *

After that, a slightly drained Negi began to listen as Eva lectured him about magic, how to use it better, controlling the energies and such. While Negi paid utmost attention, Naruto found himself getting very bored, very quickly, and eventually just decided to explore.

He descended the stairs that led to rest of the resort, and just wandered, not caring where he was going exactly, but not willing to stay still. For a full hour he explored, before stumbling upon Chachamaru. She was carrying around bundles of cloth, so he assumed she was doing laundry. "Hey Cha-chan, do you want some help with that?" he asked, but she resolutely ignored him as she passed.

Blinking in surprise, he quickly turned to follow, but she was soon out of sight. _'Is she angry at me or something?'_ he thought to himself. _'I'll find out later,'_ he reasoned, before once again wandering the halls.

Eventually, he came across an open room. It was large and had one curved wall that didn't exist, a simple waist high fence all that separated it from the outside. Looking out onto the calm waters, Naruto found himself relax, until with a thought, he decided something. As he began to unzip his jacket, he reconsidered. It was a magic resort, so it was probably better to ask first.

Looking back into the maze of corridors, he decided not to risk getting lost and so just climbed out the room and walked up the outer wall. From what he could tell, the room he had been in was about a third of the way down the corridor. It took a few minutes to reach the top, ignoring the staircase leading upwards. That was less fun after all.

At the top, Eva was still lecturing, so he turned to Chachazero instead. "Hey, Zero-chan, is the water safe to swim in?"

"Yep!" she chirped. "It's perfectly safe as long as you don't go more than 500 metres away from the resort. It's warm too," she added.

"Great!" Naruto said, as he began to undress.

"Wha… what are you doing?" Zero asked, red faced.

"Going for a swim." He answered swiftly.

By this point, Eva and Negi had noticed the spectacle as well. Ignoring their incredulous looks, as soon as he was in nothing but his boxers, he ran to the edge of the pillar and jumped off.

"Naruto-nii-san!" Negi shouted as he raced to the edge, Eva not far behind.

Free falling, Naruto felt the rush as the air speed passed his whole body. His heart started pounding in excitement as he waited. The water was almost at his feet at this point, and that was when he acted, pushing chakra to his feet, cushioning his fall greatly. Even so, he still ended up 15 feet deep in the water. He took a moment to savour the feeling of being immersed before kicking up, back to the surface.

Negi and Eva arrived just in time to see a large splash of water as he landed, slightly larger than natural, though neither noticed.

"Damn it, what does he think he's doing!" Eva shouted as she began to fly down to the water, intending to rescue him. Negi was right behind her.

They were both hovering just above the water where he entered, about to dive in when it happened. Naruto leaped up into the air with a gasp, grinning from ear to ear. Negi almost fell off his staff as he reared back in surprise. Eva wasn't so lucky. When Naruto emerged from the water with a splash, he accidently punched her in the gut, causing her to lose concentration and fall into the sea.

She sunk momentarily, and all the memories came flooding back. Of being drowned in witch tests, the early vampire weaknesses and even just a simple experience in her childhood, when an elder brother playfully dunked her head under water and left it there for a little too long for comfort, from before she became like this, when she was happy. Simply put, she panicked.

Flailing about, she sucked in a breath of water and choked. That was when she felt the hands, two of them. They had grabbed her flailing arms, and then simply pulled.

She emerged from the water, coughing and spluttering, to find the concerned faces of a blond and a redhead, each one with a hand wrapped tightly around her arm. They were saying something, but she couldn't really hear them. And then she was being pulled again, straight out of the water and onto someone's back.

It only took a few more seconds before awareness full returned, and she realized she was on Naruto's back.

Upon realizing this, she tried to slip from his grasp, but he tightened his hold on her legs, and the floating Negi next to her gently pushed her down.

While Negi looked merely worried, Naruto was more angry than anything else. "What the hell Chibi-chan! What kind of moron tries to rescue someone from drowning when they can't even swim!"

"You jumped off a cliff," Negi retorted for her. "We were worried."

"Yes, I get that," he sighed, "but don't you two think I wouldn't have jumped off if I didn't have a way of surviving?"

"Well…"

"Look, I'm glad you were worried, I am. But seriously Chibi-chan! If you can't swim, what's the point? At least Negi can, so he would've been fine, but geez!"

"I was not worried!" she finally retorted.

"Oh, so you came after me and almost drowned, why exactly?"

Her mouth worked, but no answer came out.

"First thing tomorrow, we teach you to swim!" Naruto declared, to Negi's enthusiastic agreement.

As they reached the wall, Eva had the unpleasant feeling of vertigo as she was turned to a 90 degree angle as Naruto began to walk straight up the wall, causing her to try and let go again. No such luck as the blond held on tighter. Instead, Eva was forced to hold on tighter in order to avoid dizziness.

"As soon as we reach the top, you're going to rest."

"I may not look it, but remember, I am not a child, do not treat me as such," Eva reminded them both.

"But master, you almost died."

"No, I didn't. It may not have been a very pleasant experience, but would've been fine in the end. I'm an immortal vampire, remember?"

"Fine," they both agreed. "But you still have to change, you'll catch a cold like you are," Naruto reminded them.

They agreed to that. After all, they could sill both get sick.

When they reached the top, Chachamaru was waiting with towels, and a cold look directed at Naruto. If she wasn't angry before, she was now that Naruto's actions had put her mother in danger.

After that, she led the way for Negi, presumably so he could change, while Eva went with them for the same reason.

He sat in the gazebo as he waited for their return, when Zero approached.

"Naruto-sama," she began.

"Yes Zero-chan."

"Jumping off the resort like that, it was kick ass," she complimented.

"It sure was." Naruto grinned.

* * *

It was later now. Eva and Negi had finished the training for the day, and the sky had darkened awhile ago, while a full moon rose. Naruto had spent the rest of the time working on trying to figure out more on Eva's barrier. No luck though.

They were sitting together for a meal, Chachamaru serving as all three sat around a single table.

"About what happened earlier," Naruto broke the silence. "I'm sorry I worried you, and thanks for the attempted rescue. I really appreciate it."

"No problem Nii-san!"

"It was fine," Eva coldly replied.

"How long are we staying?" Negi asked a few minutes later.

"About a week," Eva replied. "As an introductory course and to get you started on your new routine. After that you will come here everyday after classes have ended, and train for two or three days."

"I see," Negi gulped.

"What's the routine?" Naruto asked.

"In the mornings there will be independent exercises, then breakfast. After that we will have fundamental practice, followed by lunch and then combat practice. You can participate if you wish," she informed Naruto, who nodded eagerly at the suggestion. "After that is dinner, before a final session of non-combat training. After that we finish the day with a little one on one time with me. Any questions?"

There were none.

"Good. I'm going to bed," she informed them.

Just as she was about to step through the doors threshold, Naruto called out. "Remember, swimming lessons in the morning."

Shrugging her shoulders, she decided 'why not?' After all, it was a useful skill to learn, and it was about time she got rid of that fear of water. As was shown today, just because she could fly, didn't mean she couldn't drown.

"Have you ever taught someone to swim before?" Negi asked Naruto.

"No. You?"

"No."

"Well then, I guess we'll be winging it."

Negi nodded his agreement.

"How do you feel after your first day of training?"

"A little sore," he admitted. "But Chachamaru-san gave me an excellent cream. She says I shouldn't even have a mark on me after a good nights sleep."

Nodding his head, Naruto continued. "I've been working on the project by the way."

"Ah, sorry nii-san, it's just, I was so busy I forgot all about it!"

"Its fine, but I could really use your help with a couple of things. We'll sneak into resort for a few days and hope she doesn't notice. We can work on it then. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

* * *

Authors note:

When I originally thought of this chapter, I was going to go straight on through to include Negi's past as well, but I realized when writing that it wouldn't seem right.

This is a rather serious chapter, with very little humor. If I had done what I originally intended, it would have been serious, funny and then serious, and I don't think it would have flown very well, so I decided to cut it here instead.

The almost drowning scene was another one of those things that came from absolutely nowhere, but that was just how the scene played itself out.

I hope the Eva flash back was alright. When I first did that part, I did it in just a simple explanation, but then thought I'd try it this way. I could have tried it with the whole of Eva's story, but I don't think that would work. Besides, I think it would have bumped my story to M.

Justu:

**Fuuton: Kuudan **-_Wind Release: Air shot_: Ninjutsu technique. After forming the needed hand seals a strong gust of suppressed wind will be sent towards the target.

**Fuuton: Fuuka Heki** – _Wind Release: Wind shield_: What I've decided to name the defensive Ninjutsu Naruto used in the Demon God Chapter.

Slight change in Ninjutsu name thanks to _Daughter of ether_ helping me with translations.

No Omake this time. I just didn't feel up to it. Plus, I did warn you it wouldn't be all the time.


	17. Past and Training Part Two

It was morning now, and Eva was standing hip deep in the water. Naruto and Negi were on either side of her, which didn't really help matters. They were talking over her head too, which just served to annoy her further.

"So, how do you think we should start?" Naruto asked.

"I think you start by teaching them not to be afraid of the water?" Negi asked more than stated.

"How old were you when you learned to swim?"

"About three when I started, I think. Why?"

"And you had someone to teach you?"

"Yeah."

"Alright then, I'll follow your lead."

"Wha? Why me?

"Because, someone actually taught you to swim, unlike me who basically learned through sheer stubbornness, and besides, aren't you an actual teacher?"

"So are you!"

"Ah, I'm a substitute at best and you know it."

"That doesn't mean I know how to teach someone to swim," Negi muttered.

"I suppose. What do you teach anyway?"

"English."

Naruto just gave him a blank look, effectively asking 'What?'

This caused both Negi and Eva to give him equally amazed looks, until they remembered that Naruto was from over three millennia ago, and that he had only come back into the world around three weeks ago.

"It's a language. You should really learn it some time. I'll teach you." Negi volunteered.

"I'll think about it."

"Will you just get on with it?!" Eva interrupted.

"So, take her further out?" Naruto asked Negi, getting back on topic and simultaneously ignoring Eva.

"Yeah, I think that should be fine. We're both here after all, so it should be safe."

Nodding his head, Naruto grabbed Eva by the arm and began to lead her further out into the water. It was just below neck level when Eva started to resist. They stopped there.

"Alright, so first thing is dunking her head underwater?" Naruto asked.

"What!?"

"No," Negi calmly answered. "I think it's more getting them to put their own face under the water."

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked, putting one dripping wet hand onto Eva's still dry head, which she promptly knocked off. "Cause dunking her head under water sounds more fun."

"Nii-san," Negi whined. "This is serious."

"Stop ignoring me!"

"Fine," Naruto sighed. "Alright then Chibi-chan," he addressed Eva for the first time since reaching the beach, "first thing first; close your eyes, take a deep breath, and put your face under the water."

She looked down into the water and noticed for the first time just how close to it her face was. She felt a stab of fear at that, before she ruthlessly squashed it down. She was hundreds of years old, she shouldn't be afraid of simple water. She closed her eyes, took a breath and put her face down, but stopped when she felt it on the tip of her nose. Eyes snapping open, she looked into the water, and remembered the witch tests, the feeling of water entering her lung, the growing panic at the lack of air.

Her face jerked up. Looking around, she seemed to notice for the first time that they were surrounded by water. The feeling of fear began to rise again.

"It's okay master, just take a few minutes and try again," Negi told her as he moved in front of her. He was either on his tip-toes or treading water, she couldn't tell.

"Just don't take to long, otherwise I might get bored," Naruto warned.

Eva relaxed. And then tensed at the realization that their presence actually helped calm her down.

With a calming breath, she quickly dipped her face underwater before just as rapidly pulling it out. '_Ha,_' she thought, '_like something as silly as water will beat me!_'

Negi thought, '_Good, she's already making progress,'_ a small smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Naruto thought, '_Weeeak_.'

"Good job master, now try and hold it."

She complied. This process of the blond vamp ducking her face underwater was repeated until they were fairly sure she was comfortable with. Each time, she spent a little bit longer beneath the surface.

"I think that's enough for today," Negi announced, "or at least for now. It's already been an hour."

"What? Seriously?"

"Yeah," Negi answered.

"Alright then boya, time for training," she told him as they made their way back to the shore.

* * *

For the next few hours, Eva lectured Negi on magic, its principles and how best to utilise it. During this time, Naruto got bored, wandered, came back, and then fell asleep after doing his normal exercises. He only woke up when Eva told Chachamaru to wake him. She did so by slapping him. _Hard_.

Quickly sitting up, he looked around with bleary eyes. Cha-chan was walking away from him, towards Negi and Eva who were waiting in the courtyard. Both of them were staring oddly at her. Naruto got up with a groan, rubbing his aching cheek and followed after her.

"What's up?" he asked.

"It's time for combat training," Eva told him.

"Wait, I thought lunch was first?"

"It was. Chachamaru was supposed to collect you, but she said you wouldn't wake up no matter what," Eva replied with a shrug.

"And that we were going to get some of our stuff now that 24 hours had passed?" Naruto continued.

"Negi has already gone and gotten his stuff. I asked Chachamaru to grab some of your clothing as well."

"Oh, thanks Cha-chan."

"I am sorry, but when I entered your room, I could find no articles of clothing," Chachamaru calmly informed him.

"I see," Naruto replied slowly. "I keep them in scrolls, so it's no wonder you couldn't find them. I'll go get them after combat training, which I'm guessing I'll be participating in?"

"That's right," Eva told him. "We'll be trying various combinations each day. Today it is you and the boy against Chachamaru, Chachazero and I. Tomorrow, we are all against Negi, and the day after, all against you. The dynamic will change until he chooses his combat style."

"Sounds fun," Naruto smiled, while Negi nodded, determined.

"We go on the count of three. One tw-" and she was attacking, aiming for Negi and backed up by Chachazero. Negi tried to hold his own, but didn't even last twenty seconds as his guard was quickly destroyed by Eva, followed by a magical blast that he just barely managed to dodge. He was blindsided by Chachazero, who slashed at him, and again he just barely succeeded in avoiding injury. It was over when Eva kicked him from above, knocking him to the ground where Zero proceeded to pin him.

Naruto did much better as Chachamaru attacked, starting with a kick to his head which he managed to block with his forearm, he attacked with a straight punch which she grabbed and pulled, pulling her other arm back to punch him in the face. He ducked under the blow and hit her in the stomach, but it barely seemed to faze her and she responded with a knee to the groin that he only just managed to avoid. That was when she managed to land a hit, a solid punch to the face so hard that he was sent flying backwards.

He landed on his feet and was just about to re-engage when Eva called a halt.

"What was that? Pathetic the both of you!"

"Huh, why?"

"Yes master." Negi meekly agreed.

"Because you," she pointed at Naruto, "are supposed to protect _him_," she gestured over her shoulder to where Negi was getting up.

"Got it," Naruto replied, moving so that he was stood beside Negi.

"This is the Wizarding style," she began to explain like she was talking to a couple of idiots. "That means the Magister Magi holds back and fires spells from afar, while the Minister Magi engages and defends his Magister against the enemy. Now, prepare yourselves." She warned.

Eva barely gave them a second before attacking Negi again, but this time Naruto was there to defend him before she could strike. Well, strike Negi anyway. Naruto on the other hand was sent a few metres away, but he was quick to recover and block another blow to Negi from Eva by grabbing her wrist.

That was when he noticed Chachamaru and Chachazero out of the corner of his eye. The former was aiming at Naruto, while the latter aimed at Negi. With a spin he threw Eva into the air, though she stopped immediately with a smirk, and he quickly grabbed Zero as she tried to jump past.

Holding her to his chest, he used her blade to deflect Chachamaru's initial strike. "Sorry about this Zero-chan," he told her as he sent her flying towards Eva, who easily caught her, whilst simultaneously kicking Chachamaru away.

Negi had just finished his incantation when Eva caught Zero, and fired 13 magical arrows at her. She simply dodged, but was surprised when two kunai suddenly came flying towards her. She deftly caught them both, but this distracted her for a moment. In that brief second, Negi struck. Firing a White Lightning spell at Eva, she was too late noticing to dodge, and it struck perfectly. Though when the smoke cleared, she was fine.

"Not bad," she complimented. "A good double team. I must admit, a delayed spell while you prepare another was quite surprising, but very effective, especially as you used the magical arrows to distract me." Eva praised Negi. "And you seem to have some experience in fighting multiple enemies as well?" she half stated, half asked Naruto.

Negi blushed at the praise. "Thank you Master."

"Yep," Naruto told her. After all, hours spent facing ones Kage Bunshins did tend to have the effect of improving a person's ability to fight both as part of a group and as a single person against the group, usually at the same time.

After that, they continued, Naruto defending as best he could against his three attackers, while Negi provided him with back up, sometimes even joining him on the front line to great effect, making it much harder for his spells to be dodged.

Naruto did notice a strange pattern though. While Eva was content attacking either of the boys, the artificial life forms were not. Chachazero always focused on attacking Negi, though she wasn't above taking the occasional swipe at Naruto. Chachamaru focused almost exclusively on attacking Naruto, trying to distract him. She wasn't above fighting dirty either, which made Naruto wary. There had been more than one attack aimed below the belt in their on going battle.

It was a good half hour of struggle, neither Negi landing any proper hits with his spells, nor the girls landing any blows on Negi, that the male duo made their mistake. Eva came at Naruto hard, using a magically powered fist to send him flying. Before he could recover and return to Negi's side, he felt it. A simple but rapid change in temperature and it was suddenly much colder where Naruto was standing. He tried to leap away, but it was too late. Ice erupted from the ground, trapping one of his legs. He was pinned. It didn't take long for Negi to be beaten after that.

"So, how did that feel, boya?" Eva asked Negi, whose face she currently had one foot on, showing her complete victory. "Fighting from the back."

"I'm not really sure," he replied, his voice slightly muffled. "It felt better when I fought by nii-san's side, but…"

"Really? Well then, after a short break, we'll change tactics. You'll fight at the front beside Naruto."

"Yes Master."

"A little help!" Naruto called from where he lay, legs up in the air as one of them was still encased in ice.

"Tch," Eva went like it was a problem freeing him. Clicking her fingers, the ice instantly melted.

After that, they spent the next few hours training, only resting when Negi ran out of energy. The duo was beaten many times by the end of the day. How long they lasted varied, though it was never more than twenty minutes. In that regard, Naruto helped a lot, and was only defeated when Eva used her magic. Negi on the other hand, could barely last two minutes under the onslaught before either he was defeated, or Naruto covered for him, which Naruto was reluctant to do. This was Negi's training after all, and Naruto wanted to him to fight and gain as much experience as possible.

Once combat training was over, dinner was served, which Naruto wolfed down before leaving the resort, grabbing some clothes and a water Jutsu scroll to study. When he got back to the resort, he found Negi lying in the courtyard, exhausted and holding one arm.

"What happened to you? You were fine at dinner." Naruto asked.

"Special training with master," Negi replied. "Plus payment," he added, nodding towards his arm, where if Naruto looked carefully he could see teeth marks.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine."

"C'mon," Naruto began to get help the younger boy up. "I'm pretty sure it's time for bed."

* * *

Later, when Naruto was sure the boy who had his arms wrapped around him was asleep, he slowly slipped from his grip. Negi had tried going to sleep by himself, but at some point he had gotten up and crawled next to Naruto, to his annoyance.

He was a 16 year old boy who had monster like levels of stamina and had napped half the day away already; he wasn't tired enough for sleep yet.

So, he looked for company. Wandering the halls, he came across several Chachamaru look-a-likes. When he tried talking to them, they simply ignored him, so he continued on until he met the robo-girl herself.

"Hey." Naruto greeted as he fell into step beside her.

"Good evening Naruto." She replied.

"So… are you going to tell me?" Naruto asked after a few minutes of silence.

"What do you wish me to inform you of?"

"The reason why you're angry at me."

"Angry? You are mistaken. I am not angry at you."

"You are," he accused. "All day you've been targeting me. I want to know why."

"I am not." She denied yet again.

"Alright then," he began, muttering aloud and watching her face. "Let's see. It started yesterday when Eva almost drowned… No, you were angry before that." At that, she twitched. "Hmm, closer, eh? Let me think. You didn't seem angry in the morning, before we left the resort, so I must have done something to piss you off in the resort." Naruto mused. All he did before he saw Chachamaru in the corridor and after entering the resort was train with Negi. That couldn't have been it, how would fighting Negi make her angry at him? Unless…

"This isn't about me kicking Negi's ass, is it?" he asked, causing her to twitch. "It is! Why woul-" he began, before she cut him off.

"There was no need to go that hard on Negi-sensei," she informed him. "He was in quite a bit of pain considering it was only training. And then through you jump into the ocean. The chances of you damaging yourself were rather high. Furthermore, mother herself almost drowned. Your actions were foolhardy."

"You're right, at least about the ocean part. It was a stupid thing to do, and I should have warned you and told you I would be fine. I never expected what Chibi-chan would be there either. I'm sorry for both of those things. But I will not apologize for how I treated Negi. He needs to learn to keep his guard up and that's a bad idea to underestimate your opponents, plus a lot of little things that can only be learned through fighting. I refuse to go too easy just because he might get hurt, otherwise he _will_ get hurt in the future. Besides, do you really think Eva will let up either? You should do the same. Continue pushing him so that he becomes even stronger. Like I said before when you went and apologized for the test, we shouldn't need to be sorry for pushing him to his limits."

As much as she wanted to, she couldn't refute his logic. Still, she felt uneasy.

"You got away by focusing only on me today, but tomorrow? Who knows," he continued. "Go as hard as you feel is necessary, and I'll do the same," he finished.

As he began to leave, he added, "Oh, and thanks for worrying about me. I'm really grateful."

After that, he was gone, leaving Chachamaru to her thoughts.

When Naruto returned to the room, he found Negi cuddling a rather distressed Chachazero. Negi didn't look to happy either, frowning in his sleep. He plucked the puppet from the young boys grip, and she immediately grabbed hold of his arm and refused to let go. Sliding into bed, he let Zero lay on his chest, and Negi was soon hugging him in his sleep again. Slowly, he nodded off.

He never did notice the shadow just outside his door, and it wasn't until later when he found out what it did.

* * *

"Come on Chibi-chan! Kick those legs!" Naruto called to the annoyed vampire. They were continuing to teach her to swim at the moment.

She was kicking, but it didn't seem to be helping her any. Nonetheless, she carried on, Negi giving her tips while Naruto cheered her on. Or make fun of her. Embarrassment was a good motivator after all.

As Eva was giving Negi another lecture on magic, Naruto pulled out Jutsu scroll. He had been carrying around several Jutsu scrolls to study on his trip, and this was one of the ones he hadn't touched yet.

Creating two clones, he read through the contents, and with a wave to the lecturer and the student, jumped to the water. They didn't panic this time, fortunately. After that, he began to practice. This was only one of the lower ranked water Jutsu's, so he didn't need to worry too much about chakra drain.

It was lunch now, and this time Chachamaru had informed him. With a great big smile, Naruto dug in to the meal. "Ah, this is delicious! Thank you Cha-chan!" he complimented.

"You are welcome." She responded with a nod. It seems she wasn't angry any more.

Negi was excitedly telling Naruto about the new spell she was teaching him, and Naruto seemed to be even more enthusiastic about it than he was.

"What were you doing anyway, nii-san?" Negi asked afterward.

"Oh, just practicing a new water Jutsu. It's so cool. You can shoot a wave of water out your mouth. I haven't quite got it right yet, but I'm getting there."

Negi nodded with a smile.

"Why did you create clones to practice?" Eva asked with a frown.

"Oh, that's because I learn and experience everything my clone does! It's usually really useful, but with this few clones, it doesn't help much."

"You learn everything your clone does? I didn't know Kage Bunshin could do that," she mused. "In fact, I'm pretty sure they _can't_ transfer memories."

"I didn't realize at first, maybe it's just that."

"No, no. I don't think so. I've fought Kage Bunshin users before, and they never seem to know what I've done to their copies. It could be because your techniques are different," she mused.

"Huh, what do you mean?" Negi asked.

"The hand-signs used are slightly different," she clarified. "Added to that, the different types of energy used to fuel the technique may alter its effectiveness and properties. Remember this boya, just because an effect is reached with one type of energy, doesn't mean you would get the same results with another. You may need to apply a different technique to acquire the desired result. Understood?"

"Hai!"

"In order to confirm or disprove my theory regarding the different Kage Bunshin technique's we'll have to ask Nagase-san for more information. I believe she knows that skill."

"Ah, that's right, I promised Kaede a spar. I'd forgotten about that. I'll ask her then. Oh, and by the way, Kaede's a ninja?"

"Yes," Negi answered. "I thought you knew."

Shaking his head, Naruto replied. "Nope. Well, that will make things interesting. I wonder what rank she is," he mused.

"I'm not sure," Negi responded.

"Oh well, I guess I'll just have to find out."

It was combat training now, and Negi was frightened. Scratch that, terrified would be a more accurate description. All alone with nothing but the clothes on his back and a staff in his hand, he was facing off against Eva, Zero, Chachamaru and Naruto. All but one wore grins, and that robotic girl kept a neutral expression.

Gulping, Negi thought, '_I mustn't run away, not if I want to become strong._'

"Don't hold back Negi, and neither will we!" Naruto called.

"H-Hai!" Negi yelled back, pale faced and fighting back tears.

"You're move boya."

After that, there was much screaming, and then: "3 seconds boya! 3! I expect you to last at least 30 seconds next time."

The training continued.

* * *

Naruto stretched as he awoke. It was their last day in the resort, and they planned to leave after lunch, meaning there would be no combat training today. A pity in Naruto's opinion; he just found them so much fun. They had continually mixed the teams during the seven days, anything from a free-for-all to picking on one person in particular- usually Negi. They had even split up into three separate teams at one point, magicians versus puppets versus ninja. That had been Naruto's favourite.

In that time, Negi had certainly made a vast improvement, quick enough that Eva had grudgingly admitted that he should easily be considered a prodigy. Not to his face of course. Then again, after she said that, her first words were: "He'd have to be a prodigy if he wants me to train him. I'd expect nothing less from my pupil." That caused Naruto to frown.

He had always been a bit miffed with the idea of prodigies, one part jealousy and one part because of their usual attitudes. Then again, with how hard Negi was working and his temperament, he didn't particularly care.

Eva's attitude had annoyed him though; Sasuke had always been offered extra help because he was 'The Uchiha' and a prodigy, while he and even the rest of his classmates had been denied such extra help. _'Then again, the entire Rookie 9 had been considered 'Exceptional','_ Naruto mused. Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, Naruto headed to the waterline, where Negi and Eva were already waiting.

Eva herself had made some progress at the whole swimming thing. Well, by progress, he meant that she could adequately float. That was something.

Today they were teaching her the breaststroke, to Naruto's amusement. It was a style he was very proficient at himself. It came with spending time among frogs and toads.

Seeing Naruto smile, Eva scowled. It was humiliating to be treated like a child as she learned to swim, and here was the idiot, laughing at her. When Naruto saw the scowl though, his smile only grew.

This time it was Naruto who stood on the water as he corrected her strokes, while Negi was in the water with her, cheering her on. The lessons continued.

After lunch, they finally left the resort. To Negi and Naruto, it was rather disorientating trying to get their heads around the idea that outside, only a few hours had passed. Negi had it worse than Naruto though, as he had to interact with more people and try to remember what day it was today. Naruto didn't have that problem.

The day passed into night.

* * *

Naruto was reading 'Tales of a Gutsy Ninja', which Takamichi had delivered earlier on, as well as Icha Icha Violence, much to Eva's delight, when he noticed something, both inside of himself and out. Eva was excited, he could tell. She wasn't smiling or scowling, but she looked happy nonetheless. She paced backwards and forwards, and just seemed restless.

On the inside, he felt just a little different. So subtle he usually wouldn't even notice, except when he knew he shouldn't be. With a sigh, Naruto looked at the window and confirmed it. The moon was low in the sky, but it was clear night so he could see it with crystal clarity. It was a full moon tonight.

It was something he had never really paid much attention to when he was young, and only really noticed after a conversation with Gaara.

**Flashback**

"Still can't sleep?" Naruto asked the red head in front of him. The boy turned to answer him, showing green eyes and a tattoo for the kanji for love on his forehead.

"No," the gravelly voice replied.

It was a cold night, a stark contrast from the heat of the desert in the day. They were standing on the roof of a building, close to the Kazekage's office. Gaara, the red-headed boy, was sat at the edge, looking up at the moon.

Naruto took a seat next to him.

"Did you know," Gaara began, "that when I still had the Ichibi sealed within me, I could never sleep?"

"Yeah, I knew. That was what caused the rings around your eyes, right? Which you still have," Naruto pointed out. "You _still_ need to get more sleep."

"It is difficult for me," Gaara admitted. "Especially on nights like these."

"Huh, why?"

"The Ichibi was always restless on nights with a full moon."

"Shukaku was, really?"

"Please do not use that name."

"Why not?"

"That is a name humans gave it, and whenever it heard it, it would always get angry and harder to control," he explained. "It was most annoying. And yes, it was. There was just something about the moon that made it irritable and especially blood thirsty."

"I wonder why."

"I do not know."

They continued watching the sky in silence after that.

It was only a month later, during the next full moon, that Naruto himself noticed his own feeling of restlessness and extra energy. He was slightly more hyper than usual but that was it. On a whim he looked inward and noticed the cause. Kyuubi itself was restless, and extra angry.

It was only later, after he had heard about the Jubi and during a full moon when he put two and two together.

**Flashback End**

"What's with you?" he asked the pacing vampire.

"Full moon," she replied. Seeing his quizzical look, she elaborated. "I get some of my powers back on the full moon."

"Ah, I see," he responded. "Planning on doing anything tonight then?"

"Not really. I promised not to attack anymore students, and really, I have nothing to do."

"I'm going to be going on a walk, you want to come?"

"Not really. Why are you going anyway?"

"Ah, it's a Jinchuuriki thing; we get a bit restless during the full moon. I'll probably be out for awhile. See ya!" he called as he left.

The still pacing Eva finally sat down. There were only two things that could calm her down right now. "Chachamaru!"

"Yes mother."

"Bring me the most violent video game we own and set it up for me."

"Yes mother."

That night, she curled up on the couch, a video controller in one hand, Icha Icha in the other. It was a good night.

* * *

Meanwhile, Naruto was wandering the dark streets of Mahora when he came across something rather unusual.

He was just passing through when he could have sworn he heard something. Stopping in the middle of the deserted road, he strained his senses and took a look around.

"Sensei?" he just barely heard.

Adding chakra to his ears and eyes, the world gained more focus, particularly the white haired girl yelling and screaming in front of him, waving her arms in the air trying to catch his attention. "SENSEI!? NARUTO-SENSEI!?"

Jumping back I fright, he yelled back, "You don't have shout!"

"Eh? You can hear me? You can see me?" she asked, becoming even more excited by the second.

"Er, yeah. Where'd you come from anyway?" he asked the girl. She was a cute girl, with long white hair and red eyes, though she was wearing an odd uniform. She looked vaguely familiar, but Naruto couldn't place where from.

"Thank goodness!" she yelled. Her eyes were beginning to tear up and she threw herself at him, arms wide open.

Suddenly Naruto felt cold, and then the white haired girl went right through him. Naruto stiffened up in fright, and then slowly turned around to face the girl. He immediately noticed something that he hadn't before. The girl had no legs, and instead there was just a wisp of smoke. Strangely, she still managed to flash him her old fashioned panties.

He was about to turn tail and run when he noticed something. The girl was crying, no, wailing would be a better term. She was crying her ghostly heart out from where she had crumpled on the floor, and Naruto was kicking himself for not noticing sooner.

Slowly, he approached the girl. "Hey, now, don't cry," he tried to comfort her as he attempted to rub her back. However, that same cold feeling returned, and Naruto's hand almost went straight through her body again.

Slowly, she began to calm down. "You're not going to run away?"

"No. How could I ever live with myself if I left a crying girl all by herself?"

"Really!?" she asked, smiling.

"Really." Naruto agreed as they stood.

"Will you be my friend?" she asked.

"Er, yeah, of course," he replied, slightly confused but unwilling to turn down an offer of friendship. "But, I don't even know your name."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I am Aisaka Sayo, class 3-A, student number 01. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, nice to meet you Sayo-chan. Wait, did you just say 3-A? Isn't that Negi's class?"

"Hai." she shyly answered.

That was when he realised where he recognised her from. Her picture was in the files he had read, though he had initially dismissed her as a joke. The file had said she began attending in 1940, over 60 years ago, and seeing as he had never seen her he had forgotten all about her.

"So, you're a ghost?" he asked, attempting to break the slightly uncomfortable silence.

"Hai. I've been here a very long time, and I've been so lonely," she sniffed, fighting back a fresh batch of tears.

"Well, now I'm here so you don't have to be alone anymore," he told her. "I was just going on a walk, would you like to join me?" he offered.

"Yeah," she smiled, and with that they were on their way.

As they walked, or in Sayo case floated, she found herself drifting towards the blond. She didn't notice even when she was close enough to be considered hanging off of him, causing Naruto to repress shivers. He didn't move away though. Being cold was a small price to pay for another's comfort.

"You're so warm," Sayo unintentionally murmured.

"Huh?"

Blushing, she noticed just how close she was and immediately put some distance between them. "Um, I can feel your warmth. I haven't felt warm since before," she struggled to explain.

"I see," Naruto replied with a smile. Stepping closer to the ghost, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and slowly encouraged her to drift closer, before continuing to walk. If she wanted to be warm, he had no problem providing it.

* * *

At around 2 in the morning, Naruto was sitting on the top of the tower in the middle of Mahora, where he had set off his prank with Eva. Sayo had left earlier, and he had promised to meet up with her later. He had also told her she was free to visit him at Eva's cottage whenever she felt like it.

He was staring at the moon when he noticed her. Soon she was stood right beside him, but he failed to react to her presence.

After a few moments of silence, "Good evening Sensei."

"Good evening Mana-chan. What are you up to so late at night?"

"I was asked to patrol by the Headmaster. What about you?"

"Oh, just admiring the moon," he told her.

"Yes, it really is beautiful."

"Yeah, it really is a fine piece of ninja work."

Silence, and then. "I'm sorry, but I think I miss heard you. I could swear you just implied a ninja made the moon."

"No, you heard right. A ninja did make the moon. Pretty much killed him though. Oh well, he was dying anyway."

"I don't believe it. How could anyone have been so powerful to create the moon?"

"You should believe it."

Gulping, the tall gunslinger asked, "Just how powerful was he?"

"Very. He was worshipped as a God for his deeds, and is regarded as the pinnacle of ninja. No one has even come close to him in strength, not even the person who shared his abilities."

"Wh-why would he do it?"

"Oh, he had his reasons."

"Are you serious?" she asked. "Did a ninja really create the moon?"

"Yes, a ninja really did," he told her, smiling, but not in a way that made her doubt his words. If anything, that smile told her he was telling her the truth.

After a few minutes, Naruto stood. "So, shall we go?" he asked.

"Go?"

"I thought I'd join you on your patrol. You don't mind, do you?"

Usually, she would, but maybe it would be nice to have someone to keep her company. "Not really, but I'll be up all night."

"That's fine. Something to like this to distract me is just what need. Besides, it'll be fun to spend some time with you."

"Oh really? You think it'll be fun to spend all night together with me, alone and in the dark?"

"Yep," Naruto innocently replied.

"Alright then, let's go."

Sitting high up in a tree, Mana lined up her shot. They'd spotted a couple of trespassers, and she could instantly tell they were up to no good.

"What is that thing?" Naruto asked in a whisper, pointing to her rifle.

"This? This is my modified PGM Hecate II tranquiliser gun."

"What's a gun?"

"How could you not know what a gun is? I'd heard you charged directly at a Yakuza pointing a gun at you."

He hmm'd, thinking back. "You don't mean that thing shaped like this, do you?" he asked, holding his index and middle fingers straight, as well as his thumb, while keeping his ring and pinkie fingers lowered. The result was an L shape.

"Yes. Don't tell me you charged at an armed man with no idea what he was holding?"

"I guess I did. So, what does a gun do anyway?"

"This," she answered him, lining up her shot and in quick succession taking down the three trespassers.

"Cool." Naruto complimented as they were sent flying a few feet on impact. "You didn't kill them though, did you?" he asked with a frown.

"No. These were just tranquiliser darts. I usually use magic munitions or other no lethal bullets, though I have had to use deadly force on occasion, but not here."

"I see," Naruto said, nodding his head. "So guns are basically very fast projectile weapons. They really are amazing; I could only just make out the darts as they made their way through the air."

"Wait. You mean you could see them?"

Naruto cocked his head to one side in confusion. Why wouldn't he be able to see them? "Yeah, why?"

"No reason," Mana answered, a little shaken. '_Just how strong is Naruto-sensei anyway, to be able to see bullets move through the air like that?'_ she thought.

After that, she called in for a pick up and continued on their patrol.

"I just have one more question. Where did you put that gun?" Naruto asked the empty handed Mana. He hadn't seen her put it away. He'd just blinked and it was gone. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen where she had pulled it out from either.

It was a question Mana refused to answer.

For the rest of the night they went around the campus, searching for trouble. Apart from a few minor cases like a broken curfew, there wasn't much excitement for the rest of the night. Not until they arrived at the Headmasters office to report anyway. The sun had risen not to long ago as they navigated the corridors.

They had just arrived at his office when the two spotted her. Mana instantly scowled, while Naruto went to greet her.

"Morning Kaede-chan. What are you doing here so early?"

"I could ask the same of you- de gozaru?"

"I didn't feel like sleeping so I decide to go for a walk. I ran into Mana-chan here I decided to keep her company on her patrol," he explained.

"I see. I was patrolling as well, and I'm just reporting in," the tall ninja explained, frowning at Mana.

"Alright then, let's go see him then," he declared, opening the doors without knocking. "Hey old man!" Naruto greeted the Headmaster, who was sat behind his desk, dozing.

"Hmm, Naruto-kun, I wasn't expecting you to be here," he groggily stated. "Ah, I see Tatsumiya-kun and Nagase-kun are here as well."

Said girls stepped forward and bowed in respect, before both of them tried to speak. Throwing a glare at each other, they waited until the Headmaster chose who spoke first.

"Nagase-kun, if you please?"

"I have nothing major to report, merely the usual broken curfews."

"I see. That's good. Tatsumiya-kun?"

"The same. Apart from one encounter near the border which was quickly subdued and called in, nothing unusual occurred."

"And Naruto-kun?"

"I found him watching the moon and he volunteered to join me at approximately 0200 hours. I hope this is not a problem."

"No, of course not. In fact, this has reminded me that I had an assignment to give him."

"An assignment, as in a mission?" Naruto asked, slightly excited.

"Well yes, I suppose you could see it like that. You ladies are dismissed."

Both girls bowed before walking out the door.

"See you," Naruto directed at them both, causing them both to turn and give him a small wave in farewell.

"Please, have a seat," the Headmaster offered. Once Naruto was seated, he began his explanation.

* * *

"What's wrong nii-san?" Negi asked Naruto, who had been moody all morning, swinging between depression, horror and anger all day long.

Naruto sighed before answering. "It's nothing, just an annoying job I have to do."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Negi offered.

"Nah. You're going to be there anyway, at least the first time, but I don't think you'll be in any position to help."

"Huh, why not?"

"I'll be working under the assumption that you'll react like I did, so prevented measures will be taken."

"I don't understand."

"Don't worry, its best this way," Naruto replied, ruffling Negi's hair. "C'mon, back to training, we both need to practice."

"Hai," Negi responded as they continued, slightly confused. He ignored the chill that zipped up and down his spine focused on getting stronger.

* * *

The girls were excited. It wasn't the loud and exuberance they usually displayed, it was simmering just under the surface instead. Asuna could practically smell it. She was no exception, not really. Sure, she had high hopes for this lesson, but there was this little voice that told her it was not going to be pleasant, especially considering their rather boring substitutes in recent weeks.

There was a giggle from a behind and to the left of her, and she turned slightly to see Haruna with a book in her hands. She'd noticed it earlier, but had dismissed it as nothing, even as she noticed more and more of her classmates carrying it around. She had even noticed Konoka had a copy, but had been to busy to ask what it was.

In fact, looking around, it looked like about half the class were reading it, most under their desks. They were blushing, but she dismissed that as nothing, all things considered.

Slowly the classroom door opened, cutting off all the chattering and giggling. The girls either wanted to get this over wish as quickly as possible or couldn't wait for it to begin.

The atmosphere of the room changed for quiet with an undercurrent of energy to shock and horror when they noticed who it was though. The little red haired Magi known as Negi Springfield had steeped into the room.

Asuna was the first to react, closely followed by the class rep. "W-W-What are you doing here Negi!?"

"N-Negi-sensei, please don't tell me you're teaching this class?"

This was the general reaction of the class, apart from Eva, who was fighting back full-blown laughter.

Their fears were ill advised though, as he was soon shaking his head. "No, I was just asked to come here at this time. The Headmaster thought this was something I should learn. Well," he corrected, "apparently it was the teacher who recommended I sit in."

As Negi took a seat at the front of the class, the girls' previous excitement turned to nervousness and embarrassment. They didn't want him here, not when they were being taught _this_. Sure, all but the most innocent of the girls, i.e. none, already knew most of it, but still…

A few minutes passed before the door opened again, causing the girls to further tense up as Naruto entered. He was rubbing his head, blushing like mad and seemed annoyed that he had to be there.

"Haha" Eva laughed, "don't tell me you need to be taught this too!"

"No," he told her, shaking his head. "I'm teaching this lesson."

That shut her up as well as causing every single girl's eyes to widen, apart from Chachamaru's, who had known prior.

"WHAT!?"

"You heard. I'll explain in a second." Turning to the seated Negi, he asked, "Could you close your eyes for just a second?"

Negi complied. For a few seconds, nothing happened apart from the bad feeling that he had been building in his stomach getting much much worse. Finally, Naruto told him to open his eyes. Doing so, he noticed one important fact. He was tied up.

Struggling to break free, all he succeeded in doing was tightening his restraints.

"Why?" Negi found himself asking the person who was quickly becoming his brother figure.

Naruto sighed before answering. "Like I told you before, I have to assume you'll react like I did to this lesson. And so, this is what happened to me. Ahh," Naruto groaned as if in pain, a visible shiver making his way up and down his spine. "I'll never forget those three days of hell."

"Three days? How could it take you three days to learn this?" Asuna asked, incredulous.

"I was screaming a lot of the time, okay. There are something's man is not meant to know."

"Why were you forced to learn-aru?"

"It was a punishment."

"Punishment?"

"Yeah, one of those let the punishment fit the crime type things. I was sat down, tied up and given energy pills to keep me awake as Baa-chan explained it in explicit detail. I think she was trying to make me sick. I wasn't allowed to leave until I could write an essay on it. And I don't just mean a decent essay, I mean in doctor level detail. I guess that's what happens when the closest thing to a mother figure you have is the head of a hospital." He continued to mutterer.

"I'm sorry, I still don't understand." Negi interrupted him.

"Oh, right, sorry. I forgot to tell you what I'll be teaching you today." Taking a piece of chalk, Naruto wrote on the board in big, bold letters: 'SEX ED AND REPRODUCTION'.

"You can't be serious?" Negi asked as he began struggling again.

"I am." Naruto responded.

"I must protest Naruto-sensei. Negi-sensei is only ten years old after all, isn't it a little early for him to be learning this?" Ayaka cut in.

"That's what the Headmaster said. I'll give you the reason I gave him, shall I?" he told them. "It's you!" he shouted, pointing at the class in general.

"Huh, us?"

"Yep, you! If this carries on, he'll probably lose his virginity before he's fourteen."

"We would never-" Ayaka began before Naruto cut her off.

"I'm not so sure about that. And if not one of you, there are lots of other girls at this school, some of them closer in age. Who's to say one of them may not take advantage of him, huh? Or even some one else entirely."

"I would never-" this time it was Negi that tried to deny it.

"Really? Why not? When you're older and your hormones are going crazy and you are seeing some girl, probably an older woman," he added, "why would you say no? And even if you _aren't_ like that, the girl you are seeing might be pushy. I've seen how girls around you act. You're going to be a menace to society when you're older. Besides, there is nothing wrong learning these things early."

Negi and the girls continued to protest, but Naruto shot down their reasons simply enough. Negi was staying and that was final. _'After all,_' Naruto reasoned to himself, _'if I have to suffer through teaching this lesson, Negi should have to suffer through learning it.'_ Truth be told, he didn't really think the girls would do anything, but hey, what a good excuse so that he shares Naruto's suffering.

Once the girls had finally calmed down, Naruto fought back a cringe and began the lesson.

"When men and women love each very much, or even just girls loving each other. Or guys for that matter. Hell, they don't even have to like each other; they only have to find each other physically attractive. Anyway, when two people want to-"

"We're not kids you know!" one of the girls interrupted him, he wasn't sure which.

Naruto simply pointed to Negi in response.

"Actually, I already know this part. Nekane-nee-chan went over it."

"Alright then. Let's skip that part. On to sexual organs," Naruto told them, extremely flustered himself. This news brought out one in three reactions from the girls. The shy one's, such as Ako and Setsuna, sported blushes so dark Naruto was slightly worried for their health. The more mature girls, like Chizuru, took it in good stride, merely letting out an "Oh," of surprise.

Reaction's like Fuuka and Makie were just plain annoying though, as they broke out into giggling fits. Nevertheless, he endured, vowing to never let himself get on the Headmaster's bad side again.

Thirty minutes and four attempts by Negi to escape later, Naruto noticed something. He usually wouldn't care if they weren't paying attention; it was what she was paying attention to instead that annoyed him.

Flicking a piece of chalk, it narrowly missed Ayaka's ear and careened all the way to Haruna's forehead, knocking her head back and her nose out of the Icha Icha Paradise.

"Seriously Haruna, porn in the classroom?"

"It's not porn, it's fine literature!" she snapped back defensively.

"You mean that book is full of filth!? Natsumi, you've been reading that none stop since the beach trip! I can't believe you!" Ayaka shouted at one of room mates.

"WHAT! Konoka, seriously?" came from Asuna, causing Konoka to flush and wave her arms, trying to shut her up. This caused Setsuna to blush herself, thoughts of her Ojou-sama causing her brain to fry.

Most of the class looked guilty, something that was only made worse when one of their classmates gave them a curious look. In the end, the class was reduced to a blushing stuttering mess.

"Sensei, may I be excused?" Nodoka asked. It looked like she was having a minor melt down.

"No, you may not. Look, this is unpleasant for all involved, and I'm sure none of you would want to be here. I don't even want to be here."

"Then why are you?"

"Because the Headmaster is blackmailing me," Naruto scowled. "Otherwise, trust me, I would have left already."

"Why was it you who was asked to do this in the first place?"

"This is a punishment. He can't do it openly because he hasn't gotten any proof, but he knows that I was the one that did it anyway."

"Knows you did what?" Kaede asked.

"That I was the one who painted the school orange," Naruto shrugged.

"That was you?!" Fuuka shouted, standing up.

"Er, yeah." Naruto answered slightly confused.

Suddenly she squealed and jumped up onto her desk. Before Naruto had time to question what she was doing, she was already flying through the air, right into Naruto, who caught her easily. He'd just opened her mouth to yell at her when she shook in his arms in excitement and kissed him.

Bright faced and sputtering, he pushed her away and tried to speak, but nothing came out.

'_I don't do loli's,'_ Jiraiya commented.

'_I can't believe she just did that. Well, I least you're as successful with girls as you were back at Konoha. Don't want to loss to a brat, do ya?'_ That voice was Kiba's, which was new. That made the third voice in his head, which Naruto ignored.

For a few seconds, the class was silent and staring. Finally Naruto got his mouth working and asked, "Did you just slip me the tongue!?"

That was when chaos erupted.

The girls began yelling and shouting, some chastising an embarrassed Fuuka, who couldn't believe what she'd just done, others just calling out in anger. _'How dare she kiss him,'_ they thought. _'I wanted to do that!'_

"QUIET!" Naruto shouted almost 5 minutes later. It had taken him that long to recover from his shock.

As far as Naruto was concerned, what had just happened could go to the same place as his kiss with Kaede, the back of his mind, because frankly, he wasn't really ready to deal with it.

After the class had settled, Naruto picked up on a certain sound, the sound of loosening rope. "Negi, if you are not still tied up in that chair when I turn around, you're hair's going to be the same colour as mine by the end of today. I am not joking." He waited a few moments before turning to find Negi almost exactly as he had left him, except there was extra rope somehow. Naruto wasn't going to complain.

"Let's just carry on, shall we? The quicker we get this over with, the better."

After that, Naruto struggled to continue. As the lesson continued, it slowly became more apparent that Naruto knew his stuff, despite the blushing and occasional cringe. It was also obvious Naruto knew more about one subject more than others, which was slightly confusing. Why would he know more about that than anything else?

Finally, he got to the end. He let out a sigh of relief, before remembering that he was going to have to do this for classes 3-B to 3- what? S?

Naruto was never, _ever_ going to get on the Headmasters bad side again. He really knew how to torture a guy.

"Any questions?" Naruto asked the classing general, not really expecting any. He was therefore very surprised when Chachamaru raised her hand. What could a robot want to know?

In Chachamaru's mind, there were high speed calculations going on. She wasn't really interested in the topic of today's lesson though. It was not something that applied to her personally, and it was nothing more than a little extra knowledge. Useful at times and under certain conditions of course; this was why she had studied it herself earlier, but it was not really anything special. No, what had her current attention was Naruto. After analysing the data, there was an 11% chance she was correct. Taking into account the posture of the person in question, as well as Naruto's knowledge and his admission of the punishment fitting the crime, she had come to this possibility and was curious as to whether it was true. So when he asked for questions, she raised her hand.

"Yes Cha-chan?"

"Did you impregnate the blonde woman in the picture you have in your room?" she bluntly asked.

"The blonde woman?" he began confused, before his face turned calm. "Shion." He muttered. "Why do you ask?"

"In the picture, the woman, Shion as you call her, is holding her lower abdomen in a manner I have observed in pregnant women. Also, you mentioned that your punishment for an unspecified infraction was to learn this subject in extreme detail. 'A punishment that fit the crime,' you stated. Added to that, your knowledge, while well rounded, is highly detailed when it comes to pregnancy and the birthing process, showing that your education may have been focused in that direction. The odds are low, but there is a definite possibility for this to be the case," she finished.

"No way," Asuna called.

"Nii-san wouldn't do such a thing."

"How perceptive." Naruto said. "Yes it's true. I did get Shion pregnant," he admitted.

"What?!" the majority of the class shouted.

"How irresponsible can you get?" Ayaka shouted. It was obvious that this had seriously irked her. "Getting a girl pregnant at your age. I hope you are taking responsibility for it."

"Shut. Up." Naruto told her. It seems this was a sensitive topic with him. "I will not the criticized for my decision."

"You make it sound like you meant to get her pregnant," Eva noted coldly from the back.

"That's right," he told them, eliciting gasps of surprise. "Don't interrupt," he warned before he began to explain. He knew that they would continue to misunderstand unless he clearly explained.

"Shion is- was a Priestess," he corrected. "When I met her, she was a spoiled girl who my friends and I had to guard from assassins as she made her way towards a special shrine where she was to perform a sealing ceremony. She was bratty and annoying, but that was because she was simply lonely. She had the ability to predict the future, more specifically, the deaths of those closest to her. Because of that, she was so sad. Imagine that, a life where you have seen, I think it was 100, yeah, 100 people die protecting you, and the only way to prevent it is to die in their place. I can see why she was cold."

"That was when I began to realize that giving your life for someone or something can cause that person pain," he said, glancing at Negi. "So, I decided I wasn't going to die, not until I was old and gray and had nothing else to live for. Sorry, off topic," he said, shaking his head.

"The night before she met me, she predicted my death. Like I was going to die," he scoffed. "In the end, she decided she wanted me to live more than herself, and sacrificed her life to save mine. I wasn't going to let her do that, and dragged her straight out of that hell she had found herself in. Together we completed the sealing ceremony. After that she asked me to 'Help with the next generation of Priestesses.' I agreed. It was only later that I learned, or should I say had it spelled out for me, that being the Priestess ran in the family. She had asked me to be the father of her child."

"Months later, I saw her again, and she held me to my promise."

"That's unreasonable. Why didn't you refuse?" Ayaka asked.

"Because, I never go back on my word. That is my way of life, and I'll go through with what I say. You are right though, I did try and dissuade her, but there were two things that stopped me. The first was my word. The second was when I asked why. 'Why are you making me do this?' Her answer was this: Because I love you. We could never truly be together, and she knew it. All she wanted was a part of me with her always. I reluctantly agreed."

"That's so romantic," Makie sniffed.

"Unfortunately, due to my woeful ignorance about this," Naruto continued, pointing to the board which still had today's topic of discussion on it, "she pulled one last trick on me. Sure, I knew what you had to do to have a kid, but I didn't know anything about the process. She kept me in that bedroom for almost two weeks straight, only coming out for food and water. That was why _that_ punishment was chosen; to teach me a lesson. Sometimes Baa-chan had the worst sense of humour."

"Alright, unless there are anymore questions, you can go."

Ako raised her hand.

"Yes Ako-chan?"

"What was it?"

"What was what?"

"Was it a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know." Naruto answered.

"When's it due?" she continued.

"Never," Naruto replied sadly before walking out the door.

"Huh? What did he mean?"

"He meant that the baby won't be born." Eva calmly informed the blue haired girl. "Haven't you been paying attention? Whenever he mentions people, it is always in the past tense. Everyone he knew is dead, including this Shion and their baby. Sometimes you girls can be so dense. Let's go Chachamaru." With that, she and her robot partner walked out the door.

Ako turned to some of the other girls in the class, whose expressions varied. Some were just as shocked as her, while others had a strange look of sad acceptance on their face, like their theories had been confirmed. People like Asuna and Setsuna, who had known this for some time, just looked down at the floor.

There was nothing they could really do to help. What do you say to a person who has lost their entire past? Was there even any need to say anything? Considering the circumstances, he had been taking it quite well. From what Negi had told them about Naruto, he had taken solace in the fact that they had continued to live their lives. It wasn't as if they had died as soon as he was gone after all. They may have lived full and happy lives.

Apparently Naruto had said, "It might not be much, but it's something. I learned a long time ago that continuing to mope and cry wouldn't get me any where. I need to keep going forward. Sure, I'll miss them, but I think they would want me to be happy."

Lifting her head, Asuna began gently. "I don't think we should bring up his past, not until he's ready, alright?"

"I agreed with Asuna; it would be insensitive to bring this topic up," Ayaka put in.

Nodding their heads in agreement, the girls slowly filed out of the classroom.

None of them noticed the child teacher still tied to the chair, or the ghost that was hovering over him. It was half an hour later that Naruto came back and freed him.

"Sorry Negi, but I thought one of the girls would free you," he apologised.

"It's alright."

Naruto gave a small smile in response. "Thanks for looking out for him Sayo-chan."

"No problem," the ghost girl replied, slowly gliding closer to Naruto. That warm feeling he admitted was hard to resist.

"Huh, Sayo-san?" Negi asked, looking side to side. He couldn't see anyone.

"Yep, Sayo-chan, seat number one and this classroom's ghost."

"Ghost?" Negi asked, slightly surprised. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"I can't really see her," Negi responded, slightly disappointed. The idea of a ghost wasn't unheard of, but they were still quite rare, and he would love to meet one. Well, as long as it was friendly.

Negi's declaration caused Sayo to sag. She was looking forward to more friends.

"Ah, don't be sad," Naruto tried to comfort her. "Hey Negi, try to focus, we've got an upset and lonely student on our hands."

"Alright, I'll try," Negi affirmed.

"You too Sayo-chan, try to become as visible as possible, otherwise Negi won't be able to see you."

Nodding her head, Sayo scrunched up her face in concentration.

Slowly, slowly, she began to appear before Negi's eyes.

Smiling, he bowed. "Nice to meet you Sayo-san, I hope we can be friends."

"Yeah," she chirped, smiling and bowing. She was happy. She'd made another friend.

* * *

The days past, and Naruto's time teaching the third-years was over, to everyone's relief.

However, some girls were beginning to worry. A certain child-teacher had begun to come to school drained, and came home even more so.

As Negi stumbled around the classroom, hitting his head on the door on his way out, Asuna's patients broke. She'd been willing to let this slide, but he'd been getting worse and worse. Poking her head out the door, she watched him walk away. "I'm going to find out what's happening, this is too much for just two or three hours practice."

"Now I get it; its Eva-san's training, right?" Yue commented, surprising Asuna.

"I noticed because he was staggering," Asakura began.

"At his morning training with me-aru," Ku finished. Both were on the opposite side from Yue and Nodaka, so she didn't notice them either. "Ah, he's met up with Eva-aru," she pointed out, just as Asuna was questioning them on why they were there.

After the two were out of sight, Asakura commented, "But, if it's two or three hours and he's coming home tired, you don't think it's _that_, do you?"

"That, what's _that_?"

"You know, the sort of top secret stuff that I can't mention out loud. Like what Naruto-sensei taught us," she whispered.

"Hey, what are you thinking about anyways?! You haven't been reading that Icha Icha, have you?" Asuna asked in a hollow voice.

"No!" Nodoka squeaked, blushing furiously.

They were just about to tell her she meant Asakura when Setsuna and Konoka called out and joined them. They'd made it just over half way to Eva's cottage when it began to rain.

They ran the rest of the way, and caught up just in time to see Negi and Eva enter the cottage.

"Are they going indoors because of the rain?" Yue mused.

"No way. If they went off inside that closed space…" Asuna dismissed, trailing into silence and leaving it to the other girls' own imaginations.

"This must be the top secret '_that'._ Asakura once again put forth.

"Jeez, would you stop that already. He's only 10."

"Haha, that's true. Plus, Naruto-sensei's there as well, right, he wouldn't let anything happen."

"Hmm, Asuna, didn't you once say that Naruto-sensei would've let Negi-kun lick Eva-san's feet if you hadn't interrupted?" Konoka reminded her, destroying everyone's hopes that someone responsible would prevent anything like '_that'_.

Looking each other in the eyes, they ran for the window. Peeking inside, they saw no-one. After that, they snuck into the cottage and began to search.

Even after their search, they found no one.

As Asuna passed by the desk, she spotted something strange. The desk there were files spread out. Grabbing the one on the top, she began to read:

_Gaara- Tanuki no Ichibi. Gaara was made into a Jinchuuriki before he was even born, and was the third Jinchuuriki of Suna. He too displayed the same control over sa-_

"Ah," Asuna heard Konoka call from her left. Grabbing all the files, she made her way towards Konoka. She found herself entering a smallish room where the black haired girl was holding up a picture. Over all the room was sparsely decorated, but there were certainly a lot of papers lying on the shelves.

"What's that?" Asuna asked as she made her way over to her friend.

"It's Naruto-sensei and a blonde girl. This must be Shion."

Taking a look herself, Asuna decided her friend was probably right.

"She's so pretty," Konoka sighed.

"Yeah," Asuna agreed. "Her eyes are a little weird though," she pointed out.

"Don't say that Asuna, that may've been perfectly normal where Naruto-sensei's from."

"I suppose." Asuna shrugged.

After that, they had a brief look at some of the other pictures. "Ah, Naruto-sensei looked sooo cute as a kid,"

"I'm more interested in this one," Asuna commented, absentmindedly wiping some drool from her mouth as she stared at the blond man holding a red-head.

"This must be Naruto-sensei's parents."

"What are you two looking at?" Asakura asked as she walked into the room.

"Naruto-sensei's pictures," Konoka told her, showing her the two in her hands as Asuna showed her the one in hers.

"Oh, this must be Shion, eh?" she asked, snapping a picture of the pictures one by one.

"Yeah, we think so too."

"Everyone, this way!" The voice of Nodoka called.

Putting the pictures back, they followed her downstairs and into the basement. "Urgh, creepy dolls," Asuna muttered.

"I wouldn't let Chachamaru, Chachazero or Naruto say that, they may take offense."

"Why Naruto?"

"I dunno, I just get the feeling he would." Konoka replied.

They found the other girls, Kuu Fei, Setsuna and Yue surrounding a strange glass sphere.

They were just discussing what it was when they began to disappear in a strange glow, one by one, until only Asuna was left.

"Uh, hey, guys? Were did you go?" Soon though, she too disappeared.

Anyway, when she reappeared on the other side and in the resort, she found only Yue waiting for her. As they slowly made there way over the bridge (Why weren't there any handrails. This was dangerous.) Yue explained the situation to her. They had arrived here and began exploring.

"Hey, this way!" Asakura called out. There are voices coming from down here."

As they approached, Asuna asked, "From down these stairs?"

"Apparently."

"Whose voice was it?"

"It was, um," Nodoka tried to answer, before blushing and turning away.

That was when they began to make their way down the stairs and hear the voices for themselves.

"Hehe, a little more is fine, right?" Eva asked.

"No more, please, I'm already at my limit," Negi pleaded.

"Rest a bit and you'll recover. You're young after all."

"No," Negi groaned.

"Hurry up and whip it out boya!" Eva commanded.

"Please, don't make me Evangeline-san."

"I thought I told you to call me Master."

"Jeez Chibi-chan, he's only a kid."

"Don't interrupt, I'm not satisfied yet. Unless you're offering yourself to me, hmm?"

The sound of Naruto sighing made its way through the door. "You're insatiable, aren't you? And no, you can't have me. Negi, man up and take it. If you need some, I've got some pills you could take to help."

"Huh, pills? Are they safe?"

"Yeah, they are. Though kids aren't really supposed to take them, you should be fine. They'll help you last longer."

"Yeah, that would be nice nii-san."

Some rustling and then, "Oh wow nii-san, I feel great."

"See boya, you're already perked up and raring to go. Now, I'll just-" she began, before cutting herself off.

Asuna looked into the other girls' eyes and saw equally surprised looks and blushes. Even Asakura was shocked. "No way," she laughed. "I was only kidding before, but you don't think they're actually…"

"Master, please don't bite so hard." Negi groaned.

"You'll learn to like it soon," Eva said, before silence once again rained, broken only by the occasional hiss from Negi.

That decided it in Asuna's eyes. Red faced in embarrassment and anger, she kicked her way through the door, shouting "HEY, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING To a kid?" she began to trail off when she noticed the scene before her, before finally face planting when it truly sunk in.

Eva and Negi were sitting next to each other, the latter with his arm held up in front of the former, who was biting into it. Naruto was lounging behind them, reading what looked like the Mahora newspaper.

"What are you lot doing here?"

"Us! What about you!"

"I'm just taking a little blood, about a transfusions worth," she explained, causing Naruto to cough.

'_Transfusion's worth my ass.'_

After that, Eva began to explain about the resort's properties and uses.

They were surprised at first, and then they were amazed, followed by worry before Negi assured them it was fine. He wanted to get stronger, so that he could protect them. Asuna didn't know what to say to that.

* * *

Eventually, they found themselves raiding the fridge in search of food and 'juice'.

"Oi, that's stuff's not for minors."

"But it say's juice,"

"It's no ordinary juice!"

"Fine, fine," Konoka backed off.

"Um, Eva-chan," Yue called her off to one side with Nodoka.

Meanwhile…

"Oi, Asakura," Naruto called. Seeing the newspaper in his hands, she could probably guess what this was about.

She tried to make a hasty get away, but he'd grabbed her shoulder before she could go more than two steps.

"So," he began. "I've been reading up on some of the old newspapers, and was rather surprised when I found an article about me. Well, I suppose I should have expected it since there was one on Negi too."

"Huh, there was?" Negi joined them.

"Yeah. Just some of the usual stuff, general personality and things like that," he explained.

"Do you have some objection with the article? What was printed was all true."

"Yes, I can see that, although why you felt the need to mention some things, like my obsession for orange or my experience in the bedroom, I'll never know. I'm willing to let that go though. What I want to know is where the hell you got this picture?" Naruto finished, holding up the photo in question.

In it, Naruto was wet and bare-chested like he had just gone swimming, a towel in his hands.

Naruto knew for a fact that the only time he had been like this was in the resort, apart from when he had had a bath. Looking at the background only confirmed it. He just knew he was naked in this photo.

"I have my ways," she answered. "And I also have the other half of the picture, but I'm saving that for auction, or maybe a favour," she winked.

Beside hem, Negi gulped. "You don't have a picture of me like that, do you?"

"Of course not," she assured him. "If I did I would be instantly labelled a sex-offender," she muttered.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing," she answered, before shrugging out of Naruto's grip and walking away.

"I hate blackmail," Naruto sighed.

"Huh, but I thought you said you had some blackmail material against Master."

"What was that?!" Eva yelled as she approached, followed by Yue and Nodoka. "I thought you said you had deleted that?!"

"I did, I did, I swear."

"You better have," she muttered, before settling down on the nearby couch.

"I've just got more since then," Naruto whispered to Negi. "Now don't say a word about it."

"Um, sensei," Yue began. "We were wondering if, er, you could teach us magic?" she quickly asked.

"What? Here and now?" Turning back to Eva, he asked, "Is that alright with you Master?"

"It's fine, do what you want. There's so much magic in here even a beginner could do a little."

After that, Negi began to hand out wands and explain a little about magic.

"So, basically, magic is the energy of all creation, like air and water?" Yue clarified.

"That's pretty much it. You take the energy into your body like your inhaling it, and then and then imagine that it is concentrating into the tip of your wand."

Nodding her head in understanding, Yue gave an attempt which ended in failure.

"Don't worry about it. It usually takes months of practice," he consoled her.

The girls continued to practice as Negi gave out instructions.

During this time, Naruto walked up to Negi. "Hey, could you explain what you meant about taking energy into the body again?"

"Sure," Negi agreed, explaining the general feel behind it.

"Hmm, that sounds a bit like Sage Mode."

"Sage Mode?"

"Oh, it's like a power up. I take natural energy into my body to strengthen myself."

"It does sound similar," Negi agreed. "Why don't you try it?"

"Sure," Naruto shrugged, closing his eyes and concentrating.

Slowly, his eyes began to change colour, the irises to gold and the area around his eyes to red.

"_That_, is not magic," Negi stated in slight awe.

Reading her magazine, Eva noticed the change immediately. The literal dark spot on her senses that she had come to associate with Naruto began to change. She quickly stood up and ran outside to investigate, half expecting to find whirlwinds and the ground cracking underneath her. Sure, the level of power he was displaying was no Jack Raken or Nagi Springfield, but it was still high up there on the scale.

What she found instead was those girls failing at performing a basic spell and Negi and Naruto standing off to one side.

"What the hell are you doing?" she yelled at the two of them.

"Huh, I'm just showing Negi Sage Mode," Naruto replied before releasing it and beginning to change back, returning to a dark splodge on Eva's senses. "Why, what's the matter?"

"First of all, what's Sage Mode?" she asked.

And so, Naruto once again explained the basic's of Sage Mode. "It sounded similar to magic, so I decided to try it out."

"It's not magic," Eva informed him, "but it _is_ similar. I could finally sense you for one."

"So, do you think I could do magic if I'm in that form?"

"No," Negi answered. "It is similar, but at the same time very different to the energy of magic."

"He's right. Magic is not something you can learn. Sorry to disappoint you."

"Ah, not really," Naruto it waved off. "I just thought a spell or two could be useful for a surprise. Never mind, I'll just continue to concentrate on Nin-Jutsu."

That was when Asuna walked up to them, her nose in a folder. It seems she wasn't really interested in learning magic after her first failed attempt.

"Hey Negi."

"Yes Asuna-san?"

"What's a Jinchuuriki?"

That caused Naruto and Eva's heads to snap towards her. That was when they both noticed a file in her hand, as well as the others on a nearby table. Seeing Eva begin to approach, Naruto waved her off. He wanted to see where this was going.

"Let me think, the term sounds familiar," Negi frowned.

"Why do you want to know?" Naruto asked.

"I found these files," she pointed them out, showing him the one in her hand as well, "and was curious."

"You shouldn't really be reading other people's stuff," he chastised her.

"Ah, that was it! I read it in a book once," Negi finally answered, before frowning. "But Asuna-san, why are you asking about human sacrifice?"

"Wha? Human sacrifices? I just read it in this file. Look, it says this guy is a Jinchuuriki," she pointed out, handing the file to Negi.

He gave it a brief look through. "I can't remember what the term means exactly, but I do know it referred to people being sacrificed. If this file says he was a Jinchuuriki, it probably means he was a sacrifice," Negi told her solemnly.

"But, wait? It says here he gained powers over sand. And it mentions demons here."

Negi furrowed his brow at that, while talk of demons drew Setsuna's attention.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Hey, Setsuna-san, do you know what a Jinchuuriki is?"

"No," she answered, even as she began to read this Gaara person's file.

_Gaara- Tanuki no Ichibi. Gaara was made into a Jinchuuriki before he was even born, and was the third Jinchuuriki of Suna. He too displayed the same control over sand as his predecessors. See appropriate section for details._

_In a time of low income, the Kazekage of the time, the Yondaime, had to cut back his ninja forces at the insistence of his Daimyo. In response to this, it was decided that Gaara, the Yondaime's own unborn child, would be infused with the power of the Ichibi._

_This process caused the mother's to die during the process of childbirth._

_Gaara was raised by his uncle from his mother's side of the family, who took care of him until the age of six. It was at this time that Gaara's lack of control over his powers began to become dangerous. See appropriate section for details._

_Yashamaru, the uncle in question was then ordered to kill Gaara, a task he happily agreed to._

_After his first attempt and failure, he explained to Gaara that he hated the boy, and saw him responsible for the death of his sister._

_After this, he became mentally unstable, taking up the mantra: 'Live only for yourself, love only yourself.' Carving the kanji for love on his forehead, Gaara lived by this way of life until his first defeat at the age of 12. See appropriate section for details._

As Setsuna continued to read, she found herself growing horrified.

"Th-this is terrible! How could they do that to a child? They tried to kill him by the time he was six. It says here his own father saw him as a failed experiment."

"This is sick!" Asuna responded. "Eva-chan! Why the hell do you even have stuff like this?"

"They're mine," Naruto told her.

"Huh? Why do you have…?"

"The lives of Jinchuuriki have always been of special interest to me, and I thought I would honour them one day, and so I collected information about them. I hope that's not a problem?"

"No, not really," Asuna replied. She didn't know why, but she knew it would be a bad idea to argue about this.

He grabbed the file from her hands, as well as the stack upon the table and went to put them away. "Chibi-chan, next time I lend you these files, try not to leave them lying around where any one could find them." He told her as he left. "Oh, and one last thing," he said with a sad smile. "Thank you for the sympathy, but I doubt Gaara would have appreciated it."

* * *

It was night now, and Asuna couldn't sleep. What kept her awake was hard to define. She was tired, that was for sure, but she still couldn't drift off. It wasn't her full bladder, though that may have been a factor. No, it was the memory of that sad smile on Naruto's face as he had left with those files. It wasn't the type of expression one would make if they didn't know the person themselves. Plus, he'd spoken as if he knew Gaara personally.

Shaking her head to clear those thoughts, she got out of bed and headed to the toilet. It was on her way back she noticed it. Negi was practicing his forms and spells.

"Jeez," she sighed. "Again?"

Finishing up a combo he'd learned a few days earlier, Chamo complimented him. "That's my Aniki!" he cheered. "She said it would take 2 or 3 months to learn, but at this rate you'll have it in no time."

"No," Negi disagreed. "The spell lacked power and the Magical Arrows barely materialized at all. Taking into account magic is easier in here, I still have a long way to go."

Nevertheless, Asuna found herself clapping lightly at the display.

"Just what I would expect from a magic teacher. Not just any boy genius, are you?"

"Ah, Asuna-san! Don't say things like that!" Negi told her, frantically looking around.

"Huh, what?"

"Things like genius and prodigy. Naruto-nii-san hates them."

"Jeez, alright, I won't say them. But, let me say this," she continued walking towards him. Grabbing him in a head-lock, she said, "Nothing good will come out pushing yourself too hard. You'll wear yourself out."

"Urg, I-I'm sorry," he said, as he struggled. "It's because I spent all day playing with everyone. I had to make up the lost time."

"I thought I told you, resting and playing is part of your training too. You're trying too hard." Once she was sure he had the message, she relaxed and freed him from her hold.

"But you know, it's weird. We've done all this partying and playing and sleeping, but outside only like, 20 minutes have past."

"Haha," he laughed. "I guess you're right. Well, the power of magic really is amazing."

For a brief moment, there was silence except for the soft swish of cloth as Naruto changed position from where he was sitting and watching.

"Um, Asuna-san."

"Eh, yeah?"

"Would you listen to something I want to say?"

"What's with this all of a sudden?"

"It's something I feel I should tell you, since you're my partner and all."

"Eh? I don't really mind. What is it?"

"It's the reason I'm trying so hard. It happened about six years ago, when I met my father."

"Why'd you bring this up now?"

"Well, I think I should tell everyone, but since you asked me to see you as a partner, I, uh, figured I should tell you first. If you don't want to, that's fine," he began to chicken out and walk away. "I'm sorry for bringing it up so suddenly."

She grabbed him by the top of his head before he could get very far. "No on here said anything about not wanting to know, idiot. SO come on, tell me. I've been wanting to ask why you work to hard any way."

After that, Negi and Chamo began to draw a magical circle on the stairs, which was quickly completed. "This circle will let you see into my memories. It'll be easier this way," he explained to her. Just, kneel here," he directed her to position herself on the lower step, while he himself knelt on the higher step. "Because you're taller," he explained. "Now, we just have to hold hands and put our head together."

"Hey," she hesitated, "are you sure this is the way to experience your memory."

"Yeah, this way's a lot quicker than just talking. Why, is something wrong?"

"Not really," Asuna muttered, slightly annoyed at herself for being bothered over touching foreheads.

"You got it?" Negi asked.

"Yeah."

"Well then," Negi said, before he began to chant. The runes in the circle began to glow, and Asuna's consciousness went else where.

Meanwhile, Nodoka was watching, puzzled over the magic circle.

Sneaking up behind her, Eva instantly recognised the magic he was preparing. With a smirk, she realized her Artefact would be useful in this situation. A little manipulation later, and watching his memories was simple.

That was when Naruto walked past, heading back towards his bed.

"Oi, wait a sec," Eva called. "We have a way to view the memory too."

"Ah, no thanks," Naruto dismissed.

"Why not? You're curious too, right. Besides, he said he was going to tell us anyway, so there is no reason why not."

"Because, I want to talk to him properly as he tells me. Plus, I want to tell him a little about myself."

"Not all of it?" she asked.

"Nah, just an edited version. He's not really mature enough for more."

"I see. Goodnight then."

"Night Chibi-chan, night Nodoka. Oh, and could you do me a favour and stop him from destroying the magic circle. It looks useful for later. Other than that, tell him I'll be waiting for the story some other time."

With that, he had disappeared into the underground of the resort.

* * *

Omake part 3

Grinning from ear to ear, Nagi darted forward in the air and dive-bombed him, a move which Minato was only just able to dodge.

Moving forward to attack, Minato was caught off guard when a swarm of over one hundred balls of electricity attack, all of which come from different angles and at different speeds. Three struck home before he could get out the way, shocking him and numbing his arms where they had stuck.

As quickly as he could, he moved away from the swarm and sent Wind Chakra though his limbs, dispelling the lingering electricity. Now that he had use of his arms back, he grabbed two of his special Kunai and charged them both with Wind Chakra.

One in each hand, he began to cut through the little balls of electricity, simultaneously trying to figure out the best way out of this situation.

It was obvious that the red haired man, Nagi, was controlling them from afar, so the easiest way was to engage him in direct combat.

From their previous exchange, Minato knew he would win in close combat, but in ranged combat he knew nothing of his enemy's capabilities. It was much better to fight close.

And so, even as he ducked and dodged and spun, destroying the balls of electricity as they came from every direction, he searched. He opened his mind to the sight, sounds, even smells of the forest, and sought him out. No self respecting Jounin of Konoha, the Hidden Leaf Village, would allow themselves to feel out of place in a forest, much less the Hokage.

It didn't take long to find him, and when he did, he instantly threw one of his Kunai in his direction teleported to its location, straight out of the sea of light and into a punched to the jaw which sent Nagi flying.

After that, Nagi began to fly away, taking pot-shots with magical arrows and White Lightning to make sure he followed, constantly leading Minato away from the forest and to a large lake.

The clear blue water sparkled in to sunlight, and Nagi himself made his way to middle and continued his assault.

From what he could see, Minato couldn't fly. So, as long as he stayed above the water, there was no way he could get to him.

That was when Minato ran onto the waters surface, causing Nagi to smile. Waiting until he was sure the blond couldn't get back to land, he electrified the water, hoping to electrocute him.

That plan was foiled when he jumped just in time, once again flashing though hand seals as he did so. Taking a deep breath, Minato exhaled sharply, a large dragon of wind shooting forth and attacking Nagi. He simply destroyed it with some fire magic, burning it up before it even got close to him.

Looking across the water, Nagi could see Minato crouched over his palm, something blue spinning inside it. Then, with a flash of light he was behind him.

'_I didn't even see him move!' _Nagi thought as he twisted around, intending to him with a direct White Lighting blow.

Unfortunately, Minato was faster and managed to hit him in the gut with his Jutsu. "Rasengan!" he called the ball of twisting energy hit.

Nagi was sent flying backwards, releasing his attack as he did so.

Minato had no time to dodge and it hit him dead centre on the chest, sending him flying back.

Slowly, both got back up, one twitching as electricity crackled over his skin, the other slightly crouched over and holding their stomach, where a twisting wound had etched itself upon his skin.

Nagi grinned through the pain, and even Minato let loose a small smile. They were both having fun.

* * *

AN: Not as funny as I was hoping, but but I think it should be fine. You can probaly see why I wanted to get to this point last chapter, and have labeled it as basically part 2 seeing as it deals with similar things.

Next chapter should be the Demon chapter. So that's good.

A couple of reviews want Hinata to appear. To them I say No. I like Hinata, I do. But it would seem cheap to shoe horn her into the story and I'm not doing it.

I was wondering if you could comment on the Omake. I'd like a sense of how well I write battle scenes, and right now it really is just practice, so I'd like to know how to improve them.

Latest Manga chapters from both series. I actually like Sasuke, but he's getting worse and worse as time goes on. An inch to the right and down and he would have crossed my Moral Even Horizan.

Raken. Just, Raken.


	18. Demon

"See ya," Asuna yelled as Negi and the rest of the girls ran into the rain on their way home. Since only one hour had past since they'd entered the resort in the outside world, the downpour was still quite heavy.

"Finally, those noisy idiots are leaving," Eva sighed. After a night of partying that Naruto had missed as the girls had celebrated their renewed intention to help Negi in his quest, they were finally leaving.

"Ah, like you didn't enjoy spending time with them," Naruto retorted as he put on a jacket and grabbed an umbrella.

"Where are you going?" Eva asked in response.

"The convenience store. I promised to meet up with Sayo-chan there."

"The ghost, huh? I wasn't aware you two had met."

"Oh, you can see her?"

"Of course I can. For someone of my level, seeing spirits is as easy as breathing."

"Sure, sure, if you say so Chibi-chan. So, you don't mind if I invite her over, right? Who knows, you two might get along, though probably not," Naruto whispered the last part.

"Do whatever you want," Eva waved.

"Thanks Chibi-chan. See ya!" he called.

After hurrying through the empty streets, Naruto soon arrived at the store to find a waiting Sayo.

"Hey," he greeted as he ran to her.

"Hi," she smiled back.

"So, what do you want to do tonight?" he asked.

"I'm fine just wondering around with you sensei," she responded.

"Alright then, let's go," he said as he set off, Sayo taking her usual spot beside him, giving him the chills.

However, they hadn't gotten far when an old man walked up to them. He had long gray hair which stuck out at both sides of his head under his black brimmed hat. He had a similarly gray beard and moustache which concealed an angular jaw line. Tall and wearing a black cloak, he nonetheless looked nervous. "Hello," he greeted. "I was wondering if you could direct me to the Headmasters office. I have an appointment and I don't wish to be late."

The feeling he gave Naruto wasn't exactly good, but he had no reason to refuse. "Sure, it's just down this road," he gestured to the man. "If you take the second left and follow that road for awhile, you should be close enough to see the building."

"Ah yes, thank you," he said, holding out his hand. "My name is Wilhelm Josef von Herrmann. And you are?"

"Uzumaki Naruto," he answered, holding his own hand out. It was just mere inches from the man's when Naruto noticed a golden sparkle. "Hey-" Naruto began, pulling his own hand back.

Seeing this, the man quickly grabbed it.

"What's your problem?" Naruto asked sleepily, weakly tugging his arm away.

"That power you saw is a type of sleeping magic that infiltrates the body; it's already beginning to affect you," he explained. "Night night," he finished as Naruto collapsed on the street despite the heavy rain.

Closing his eyes, Wilhelm concentrated. 'The look-a-like's subdued. What's the situation on your end?'

'_We found him. He's talking casually to a couple of ladies, so it seems the spell worked.'_

'_Temporary memory loss,'_ another voice commented over his mental bond.

'Good. Settle things there then.'

'_As part of his punishment, Kotaro's powers are limited.'_

'_Though he can still use Chi.'_

'_Now is the best time to strike.'_

'Good. Follow the plan.'

'_Roger_.'

'And make sure you don't let the Vampire notice you.'

'_Its fine, we're in stealth mode.'_

After that, he cut off communication with his slimy partners.

Heaving a sigh, he turned to ghost that had been trying to punch him.

"Settle down now, there's no need for that." He said to her, slinging Naruto over his shoulder.

"Let go of my friend!" she yelled, attempting to tackle him. He sighed as she passed right through.

"Don't worry; no real harm will come to him."

"Like I could believe you!"

"No, I suppose you can't. Now, I have a job to do," he said as he began to hurry away.

Beginning to panic, Sayo did the only thing she could. She ran to the dorms, hoping to enlist Negi's help.

* * *

Just outside the Mahora middle school dorm bath, three figures were lurking.

"This'll be fun," a vaguely humanoid shape said. It was about one and a half feet tall and had a vaguely female look to it, with hair red hair in two ponytails on either side of its head. Her name was Suramui.

"We only have four targets, right? The rest don't matter?" another shape asked. This one was also in the shape of a small girl, this time with dark hair allowed to hang down her back. Her name was Purin.

"We haven't come to this world for a whole 6 years, let's have some fun," a third suggested. This one was similar to the first two, except her hair was short and black, with to top of her head covered with a hat. Her name was Ameko.

"As long as we don't go over board," Ameko cautioned as they melted into sludge puddles and slid into the bath water.

Inside the bath were members of class 3-A. The library club members Haruna, Yue and Nodoka were present, as well as Asakura and Kuu Fei. In fact, most of the class was there, including the Narutaki twins, Fuuka and Fumika; the sports club members Yuna, Akira, Ako, Makie and Misora; the cheerleaders Misa, Madoka and Sakurako; as well as Chisame, Chao, Satomi Hakase and Satsuki.

They were all playing around and rubbing something slimy into their skin to make it more 'beautiful' when the sludge sisters entered. Smirking, they had their fun under the water, sliding against Makie, Chisame, Sakurako and Madoka, swirling the water around them to make them squeal.

Finally though, they got down to their jobs. Swimming through the water they headed towards the targets, Asakura, Nodoka, Yue and Kuu Fei. Jumping up behind them, they pushed the girls under the water by surprise and quickly dragged them under. With a smirk, they disappeared.

* * *

On this rainy night, Chizuru and Natsumi had found a stray dog. Cold and wet, they had brought it home to nurse it to health, only to found a naked boy had taken his place.

Scared and confused, he initially reacted badly to their kindness, but once he'd calmed down, he'd become much more amiable to the two girls, despite one of them having a slightly scary use for onions in mind for him.

His name was Kotaro, and right now he was sitting down for dinner with Natsumi, Chizuru, his benefactors, and Ayaka, this old lady who claimed to be 14. _Then again, so does Chizuru-nee-chan, but she seems ev…'_ His thoughts trailed off as the woman in question turned and grinned at him. Not a normal grin either, it was one of those scary 'I know what you were thinking and I don't like it' grins that sent shivers up his spine.

"Jeez," Ayaka sighed. She for one was not happy about their guest, even if he was Natsumi's little brother that had no where else to go. A lie they had told her to hide the fact he had appeared out of nowhere.

"Oh, Iinochi, you're not eating? I'll help myself then," Natsumi said, grabbing a bit of food from Ayaka's plate.

"Me too then," Chizuru joined her.

"Hey! I never said I wasn't eating!" she protested.

"This is good," Natsumi sighed.

Kotaro watched, a warm feeling welling up in his chest.

Noticing this, Natsumi asked, "Are you alright."

"It's nothing; I just think this is pretty nice. I've never eaten like this, I mean everyone together at one table. Eating like a family seems kinda fun."

Slightly surprised, there was a moment of silence as they processed his words. Finally, Chizuru wrapped her arms around his head and buried it in her cleavage, to Kotaro's annoyance. "Natsumi-san's home must have been cruel," she stated.

"It's a normal family, _normal_!" she protested.

It was then that the door bell rang. It was Ayaka that answered, finding a man slightly on the other side of middle age at the door. He had gray hair and a beard, with a hat a top his head. It was Wilhelm.

"May I ask who this is?"

"My apologies miss; there might be a little fuss. I'm here to talk to Kotaro-kun."

"You're looking for that child? What's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing much." He quickly changed his tune. "But pretty young lady, mightn't you accept this rose," he offered, holding on between the small crack between the door and its frame.

Unseen, a powder drifted from it. "How lovely," Ayaka gasped, breathing it in. Suddenly, she began to feel drowsy, and collapsed on the floor.

With ease, Wilhelm snapped the metal keeping the door in its partially open state.

Stepping into the dorm, he spotted Kotaro at the table. "Good day, wolf boy. I trust you've been well."

"You! You're…!?" Kotaro called when he saw him, quickly standing up. This guy, he was familiar. He couldn't remember, but there was something about him that just screamed at him. The voice was telling him it would be a good fight, a chance to prove his strength.

* * *

Transforming into Konoka, Ameko approached Setsuna. This was one of their most dangerous targets, so subterfuge was necessary.

Setsuna turned when she noticed her presence, "Ojou-sama, I thought you had returned to your room with Asuna-san?" she asked, before taking in what Konoka was wearing. Nothing. "Ah, Ojou-sama, why are you naked!?" she asked as she turned away, blushing and stumbling over her words. "Never mind that, just put some clothes on!" she demanded.

"Hehe, Set-chan," the fake giggled as she returned to a more natural form and pounced. Wrapping slimy tentacles around her, she teleported her before she could react. Setsuna lost consciousness.

* * *

Noticing something, Negi stiffened in his room.

"What's the matter Aniki?" Chamo asked, noticing his master was staring into space.

Noticing the same, Asuna asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing. I'm just going out for a moment," he informed them.

"Hey, wait!" Asuna called, but he'd already run out the door.

"What's wrong with Negi-kun?" Konoka asked.

"Dunno," Asuna shrugged in response. Neither noticed the slime creature just outside the window until it was too late, as they too were swallowed and teleported.

* * *

Even as Kotaro stood up, he was sent flying into the wardrobe behind by Wilhelm's punch. "So young man, would you mind handing over the 'vessel'?" he asked, even as Natsumi wailed. "Although Negi is our priority, it would be horrible to end up in that bottle again."

"Shit," Kotaro cursed as he struggled to remember. "Bottle? Negi? Negi is…?"

"Ah yes, remember now?" Wilhelm asked.

"Excuse me?" Chizuru interrupted. "I don't know who you are, but coming in without a greeting, as well as wearing shoes too, I don't think that's what a gentleman should do."

"Ah yes," he responded, removing his hat, "I apologize my fair lady. I'd forgotten about that Japanese custom. Of course, I'll pay for all damages. My name is Count Wilhelm Josef Von Herrmann. Though I call myself a count, I'm afraid my family name is dying out. I am but a mere employee these days," he told her with a smile.

"What did you do to the golden-haired nee-chan?" Kotaro asked harshly.

"I simply put her to sleep," he told him, slipping his hat back on. "So, about that bottle?" he asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you!" Kotaro shouted as he lunged, though his fist was easily blocked.

Wilhelm countered with his right, but that too was blocked, until suddenly Wilhelm's left struck. It felt like he'd been punched half a dozen times in a fraction of a second. His guard broken, it was easy pickings for Wilhelm's next punch to send him flying back.

Rolling on the floor, Kotaro recovered quickly, and using his elbow, vaulted himself into the air to land feet first on the wall. He immediately pushed off and readied a punch, but Wilhelm was faster and easily kicked him to the side and onto the stairs.

'_Good speed and high power,'_ Kotaro thought. _'This guy is quite strong.'_

"I like talented boy's like you," Herrmann told the downed Kotaro, causing Natsumi to emit an "Ew" even as her face screwed up in disgust. "You're young, but are very capable," he continued, not noticing Natsumi's expression. "If you just give me the bottle, you won't be hurt."

"Like you could hurt me!" he retorted. It was then that Kotaro noticed it though. Herrmann wasn't human either. With a smirk he realised something. That meant he had no reason to hold back.

Leaping forward, he called forth five Kage Bunshin which attacked Herrmann from different angles.

Surprised, he nevertheless blocked all the blows, but that proved a mistake. Blocking two simultaneous punches at his face from a pair of clones, he left himself open and third Kotaro capitalised, landing a solid blow to his stomach, winding him.

"A bit too sure of your self, ain't you, old man," he quipped, pulling back his arm. "But I'll end this now!" he yelled, summing his Inugami, his shadow dog minions. Or at least he attempted to. Nothing had happened.

Not one to let an opportunity slip by, Herrmann struck, knocking the boy to the ground. "Very good, even better than I expected! You've really surprised this old man," he complimented. "Though it seems you've forgotten that that technique is sealed for now."

He stood over the Kotaro, placing a heavy foot on his chest. "I've no desire to put an end to such promise, but you leave me no choice. Please don't think ill of me," he asked before opening his mouth wide. From there there came a bright light. He was just about to release his attack when he was interrupted.

Standing over Kotaro, Chizuru declared "I don't know what's happening, but I refuse to allow you to treat a child this way." Her gaze was steely as she looked Herrmann in the eye. What he saw there caused him to let out a small laugh, even as his cheek bruised and his nose bled.

"That was rather frightening, my fair lady. It's rare that I meet such resistance from a human. You and Kotaro, you both interest me greatly. Perhaps I shall take you along as well!"

Instantly he moved forward, and with a sharp poke to her head she was unconscious, causing Natsumi to scream "Chizu-ne!"

Scooping her up into his arms, he turned to when he heard heavy footsteps from the entrance.

"That was fast, young Negi Springfield."

* * *

Negi was running through the halls, keeping his senses open. He was sure he'd felt something, and the more he ran, the more he felt it. That was when he noticed another thing. Sayo-san was hurryingly floating towards him.

"Negi-sensei!" she shouted.

"Ah, Sayo-san, I'm sorry but I'm a bit t-" he began to dismiss her, before noticing she was crying. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's Naruto-sensei. This strange man asked for direction and then drugged Naruto-sensei and took him away some where."

"Wha!? Naruto-nii-san!"

"Hey, Aniki, you think they're related?"

"Maybe," Negi answered. "Sayo-san, we'll help Nii-san soon, but first I have to check something out." He explained.

"You promise?"

"Yeah, sure do!" he replied. Taking a moment to refocus on the task at hand, he felt another spike of magic.

"There," he pointed just down the hall. That was when he noticed that the class reps door was open.

He rushed inside then, and found Ayaka on the floor. Quickly they checked her, and once they were sure it was simply sleeping magic, he quickly continued on, spurred by Natsumi's shout.

When they arrived they found a large man with Chizuru in his arms. He half turned to face them and said "That was fast, young Negi Springfield."

"Chizuru-san!" he yelled.

"That's him; he's the one that knocked out Naruto-sensei!"

"Leave that girl alone!" Negi ordered, "And return Naruto-nii-san."

"The seven partners of yours, as well as that look alike have all been captured. If you want them back, you'll have to face me. I'll wait for you at the stage beneath The World Tree. If you truly care for the safety of those girls, I suggest you refrain from seeking help," he warned as water began to circle and surround him.

Negi sprang forward as he recognised the magic, but it was too late and he disappeared into a puddle on the floor.

Once Negi was sure the man was gone, he turned first to comfort the crying Natsumi, before turning his attention to Kotaro who was just waking up. Seeing Negi's face finally unlocked his memories and he challenged Negi to a rematch, which he refused. Instead, Negi quickly explained the situation to him and after confirming what Herrmann had said was true, Kotaro agreed to help him rescue his friends. It helped that Chizuru had been taken as well.

Pulling out a small bottle from behind his animal like ears, Kotaro explained to Negi that they could seal their enemies in it. With that plan agreed on, they were off to rescue their friends.

* * *

When Naruto awoke, it was to the sound of a girl screaming in outrage. His body felt heavy and it was a struggle to open his eyes, but when he managed it, what he saw before him was a sight he would never forget. Below and to his right was a sleeping Chizuru floating in a bubble, while below on to his right was an unconscious Setsuna in a similar situation. They weren't what attracted his attention the most though. What he really focused on was the sight below and in front of him. Kuu Fei, Nodoka, Asakura and Yue were all naked and active, also imprisoned in a bubble though. It wasn't until a few seconds later that he noticed Konoka was trapped with them, wearing only her pyjamas. What he did notice very quickly though, mostly because of the noise, was Asuna tied up in a standing position, wearing what Jiraiya would call some very sexy lingerie as she argued with someone.

Naruto tried to move then, only to notice for the first time that he was restrained. Both his arms had been bolted down on either side of him at the wrists, while his legs where tied together and to the wall directly below him. Mildly uncomfortable, Naruto couldn't help the eye twitch when he noticed he was wearing only a pair of boxers. Not even the pair he was wearing when he left the cottage.

'_Damn it,'_ Naruto thought. _'Why I'm so sure this is somehow Negi's fault? Oh, that's right, because it usually is!'_

His thoughts were confirmed moments later when the man from before, Herrmann if Naruto recalled correctly, explained what was going on to Asuna. "Our main objective is a simple 'Campus reconnaissance'. Assessing the threat level of Kagurazaka Asuna and Negi Springfield is apart of that mission."

"Huh, me?!" she spluttered.

"Personally, I'm more interested in Negi alone."

"Er, Master, _that guy's_ awake," Suramui stated, eyeing Naruto nervously.

Spinning to face the blond, Wilhelm recoiled in fear when he saw the bright blue eyes looking down on him. He took a calming breath though, and visibly relaxed. "No matter," he muttered. "Those bonds are made from one of the strongest metals in the magical world, and thanks to Asuna here, he won't be able to break free with magic."

"So," Naruto began, "any reason I'm up here?"

"For the same reason as those girls of course, bait. I am surprised though, that magic powder should have kept you asleep for much longer."

Naruto shrugged from where he hung.

"No matter, it's not like you're much of a threat."

"Don't listen to him Naruto-sensei." Konoka shouted. "He said you were a scary looking guy who had to be incapacitated."

"Really? I'm not that scary looking, am I?"

"You are to us demons," Wilhelm replied.

"Yeah, why is that?" Asakura asked, ever the reporter. "From what I see and hear, every demon that sees this guy freezes up or runs for the hills."

"Lower and less intelligent demons most likely," he sniffed. "At least I can tell the difference between real life and a fairy tale made up to scare children."

"Fairy tale?"

"Yes, a simple myth told to teach demon children to behave when young. Would you like to hear about him, we have time? Some of the exploits of the Kamigari, or if you prefer Deus Sicarior or even the God slayer, what you grew up calling him all depended on the area of the Mondus Magicus you grew up in."

"He had spiky blond hair that could pierce rocks and bright blue eyes which would send a chill down the spine of any who dared to anger him. They say he slew ten thousand men in a flash of light, and that his will burned so hot even his shadow was aflame."

"But what made him a force to be feared in the demon world something else entirely though. It was what got him his name. One day, the most powerful demon, a God they called him. No, the King of Demon Gods. He attacked that mans home. No one knows how, but this blond man stood face to face with him, looked him in the eye and simply said, "_Die."_ With that, he killed the King of Demon Gods."

"However, they say the battle weakened him and scarred his face, six small lines to mark him as a man to be feared. Nonetheless, years later he returned to fight once again, killing a minor water demon to signal his return to the battlefield."

"The lowest of the Demon Gods took up the challenge, and after a brief struggle Kamigari emerged victorious. They even say he ended the fight with a single head-butt which was so strong it shattered the Demon God's body and turned it into dust." Herrmann chuckled.

As the girls listened in awe, Naruto had a strange feeling of familiarity. These stories sounded really familiar.

Wilhelm was briefly describing Kamigari's ongoing battles with powerful menace that freely used lightening when it started to click. It wasn't until Herrmann told them about an intense battle with the God Of Pain that there was no denying it anymore. Smirking, Naruto interrupted.

"Oi, Pain wasn't a God; he was just incredibly powerful and capable of bringing dead people back to life! And I didn't kill him; I only beat him and convinced him that his way to peace was wrong and that he should let me take care of it."

"What?!" everyone shouted so loud Naruto thought they had burst his ear-drums.

"Weeeeell, some of the things you listed are a bit exaggerated, but yeah, I basically did all those things. Alright, everything after a certain point; before that point it sounds like the stuff my dad did. Just to make sure though. When you mentioned a King of Demon God's, it wouldn't happen to have been a Kyuubi no Kitsune, would it?"

Narrowing his eyes, Wilhelm answered, "You are correct, but how did you know that?"

With a small smirk, Naruto answered, "Let's just say we've met and leave it at that, shall we."

"You're bluffing. No way you can be the same man from those myths. Those stories are thousands of years old."

Naruto let out a laugh. "Didn't you know? I was sealed for thousands of years and only recently got out. Tell me, the hero's home you were talking about, did it have anything to do with leaves or fire?"

"It did, but everyone knows that. Just because you've heard the legend and look like the God Slayer doesn't mean you are him."

"Believe what you want." Naruto laughed. "But please, tell me more about the me in your legends."

Giving him a flat look, Wilhelm continued. "They say he was a being of mercy, but only to those who truly repented. Those that didn't suffered his full wraith. The same is said for anyone who hurt those that were close to him. Born and raised in the dark, he was said to be a bright light that would lead the world to peace. His job done, he disappeared. They say he watches the world, wandering from place to place protecting the weak and punishing the unjust. Especially bad little boys and girls that don't do as they're told," he said with a chuckle.

"Although it isn't really taught to the children, they say he was a bit of a trickster, both on and off the battlefield. It was once said that his eyes change when he becomes serious, and that is when you should fear for your life."

"Seriously! Keep going this is great," Naruto encouraged him.

Meanwhile, the girls that were listening tried to fit what they were being told into their perception of Naruto. Mischievous. Yeah, they could definitely see that one. But an amazing warrior who struck fear into the hearts of his enemies; not even close. Sure, they knew he was strong, but the idea that Naruto was a serious and fearsome person just didn't make sense.

At least not to those who were there and awake at the time; all apart from Kuu Fei that is. She had seen his eyes during the Kyoto trip when they were surrounded by demons, and understood that he was describing Naruto very well. If Setsuna was awake, she would have agreed. The same if Mana, Eva or Chachamaru were present. The only other person that even had an inkling of how close this was to Naruto that was there at the moment was Asuna, and even she didn't realize it fully. To her, it was more of a feeling that this was Naruto, while to the others it was something they knew without a shadow of a doubt.

Suddenly, Wilhelm turned his attention away from Naruto and his stories. He had sensed Negi's approach and had to move into position.

"You're pretty confident I can't get free, aren't you?" Naruto asked.

"Very."

Naruto nodded his head in response as 17 magical arrows shot through the air before dissipating harmlessly just before impact. When the light cleared, Naruto could make out the forms of Negi and Kotaro as they stood out in the rain, the former stood straight and his staff ready, the latter crouched down and ready to spring.

He was surprised to see Kotaro there, but hey, the more the merrier.

"Negi!" Asuna shouted at his arrival.

"Asuna-sa" Negi began, before noticing something. "Why are you dressed like that?!"

"It's not like I had a choice!" she snapped back.

It was then that the girls began to notice Kotaro, murmuring to themselves, surprised at his presence.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Negi demanded.

"I apologies for the methods, but I thought that unless I had something, or in this case, hostages, you wouldn't fight me at your full potential. That is all that interests me. If you win, I'll free the girls, as simple as that."

"Ha, is that all! Easy!" Kotaro boasted.

A moment later, Negi seemed to have made his decision. "Fine, if that is what it takes. Kotaro-kun, stay back!"

"What!? Why should I? You should be the one to…"

It seemed an argument had started, causing Naruto to sigh. He'd thought he'd got rid of that lone wolf attitude.

The argument was about to come to blows when Naruto interrupted. "If you two don't start working together, I'll come down there force you to work together!"

Kotaro and Negi rounded on him. "Says you who's attached to a wall!" Kotaro yelled. No sooner had he finished that sentence though, when he felt a light blow to the back of his head. Spinning around he found no one. He turned to Negi, who seemed too focused on yelling to the blonde that he shouldn't have been caught in the first place to have hit him.

Again the dog demon focused his attention onto Naruto, who refused to meet him in the eye, a smirk on his face. No one seemed to have noticed his behaviour, so Kotaro turned back to the fight at hand, namely him versus Negi.

Unfortunately, their fight would have to wait as they were rudely interrupted by three attackers, two of which attacked from above, the third from below, holding them in place for her comrades.

Fortunately, he was on guard from the smack to the back of his head and managed to block the blow with ease. He even managed to clip one with his foot as he jumped back, only to meet very little resistance.

Negi on the other hand was so focused on Naruto that he was a little slow to react and though he managed to block the brunt of the attack, it sent him flying back. Landing poorly, he stifled a gasp of pain as he stood. Shaking it off, Negi turned to face the new threat.

Slimes, Chamo informed them as he watched the fringe and brow of the one Kotaro clipped reform.

Charging forward, the three slimes attacked. Luckily, Kotaro managed to hold them off the few second Negi needed to imbue himself with magic using Cantus Bellax, the battle hymn.

Fighting the girls wasn't as easy as he had hoped. They were flexible and quick, and what was worse was that his and Kotaro's blows did little to no damage due to the viscous nature of their bodies.

Seeing Negi hold his own, and even force the enemy back using a double palm strike had Kotaro smiling in glee. This was the only boy his age who was even worth a challenge, and he was stronger than the last time they had met! No wonder he'd felt the urge to fight him again. He had always loved the thrill of battling someone strong.

Naruto found himself suppressing laughter as he watched the two boys fight off the three slimes, slowly and unconsciously beginning to fight in perfect sync. It reminded him of another pair of boys who, on the rare times that they got over themselves and their petty arguments to fight together, fought like they had been doing it for years, not the months it had actually been.

Covering each others weak spots, they defended themselves, blocking every strike until, as one, they struck, the three girls flying back to the feet of their master.

Charging forward, they knocked their opponents away with kick. While Negi continued to charge toward Wilhelm, Kotaro turned back and with a yell, jumped at the slime sisters, splitting into three as he did so.

Negi continued the charge, firing an un-incanted magical arrow that ended up cancelled. Undeterred, he span around his opponent, putting himself between Wilhelm and Asuna. Raising up his hand, he revealed the sealing bottle and with a quick chant and a flash of light the bottle began to seal him.

Or it would have if not for it too being cancelled.

The pendant around Asuna's neck began to glow and she screamed in pain as the magic was cancelled. Distracted, Negi let the bottle fall to the floor with a clatter, completely in effective.

"It seems the experiment was a success, it was completely effective against magic. Now, I think it is time I got serious. I doubt that this is the end, right Negi?"

After he said that, he began to fire beams from his fists with every punch, forcing back both Negi and Kotaro.

Naruto watched as the two boys were pushed back and their magical counter-attacks completely blocked.

He listened as Wilhelm explained that Asuna was the source of this ability.

It was painful to watch the two boys get beaten until and their reason for fighting questioned, and Naruto found it increasingly difficult not to interfere.

"Are your friends the only reason you fight? How mundane. If so, you truly disappoint me. One fights for one's own agenda. That is the only reason to do so. Hatred, anger, revenge, all good reasons to fight. Anyone can fight all-" Wilhelm found his speech interrupted.

Naruto felt his anger rising as Wilhelm lectured Negi, and Negi began to doubt himself over it. But when he said revenge was a good reason to fight, Naruto's patience finally broke.

To Wilhelm it seemed as though the blond had simply appeared before him and delivered a kick that was too fast for him to block directly onto his sternum, sending him flying back and flooring him.

"What a load of crap! Hatred, revenge; those are terrible reasons to fight! Would you like to know my reason for fighting? My friends and a willingness to put everything on the line for them, even my life." These were the words Naruto cried out as he stood where Herrmann once was.

"Hey Negi, didn't I tell you so before. In order to be truly strong…"

"You need something precious to protect." Negi finished.

"This goes for you too Kotaro!" Naruto shouted to the dog boy who was standing on the top of the bleachers. He didn't respond.

"How did you get free?!"

"Well, you see, I'll tell you something good. If you use a ninja technique enough times, eventually you'll no longer need hand-seals to pull it off. True, it'll use more chakra and the results will be weaker, but it's useful in just these sorts of situations."

"Impossible! Asuna's Magic Cancel field should have prevented you from using anything of the sort."

"Well, I must admit, my chakra was a little bit harder to control, and I could only produce one Kage Bunshin instead of the usual two, but that was the extent of its effectiveness."

Wilhelm's face contorted in anger and no small amount of fear as the full implications hit home.

"Yeah, that's right; Magic Cancel doesn't work on me!" Naruto yelled as he lunged forward, the spiral tattoo that suddenly appeared not going unnoticed.

Wilhelm dodged with some difficulty though, always making sure to himself between Asuna and his opponents.

Bolstered by Naruto joining them, Kotaro and Negi attacked once again, Naruto holding most of his attention while the two younger boys attacked from his blind spots.

Suddenly, he transformed. There were no words to herald it, not even a sound. One moment he was a human, the next he was a demon with dark red and shell like skin. He had no nose or hair, but his eyes had transformed into glowing holes and his mouth into teeth, no lips to cover them, his skin simply was his teeth.

The white hair that stuck up from the sides of his head twisted and transformed into horns, and wings quickly sprouted from his back, as well as a wave of energy which knocked the three boys away. A tail had also sprouted from behind him and his body appeared armoured.

They span in the air and landed on their feet with relative ease. When Negi caught sight of the transformed demon, he froze.

"I see you recognise me. I'm glad." Wilhelm said, smiling. Or at least it looked like it; it was hard to tell with his relative lack of facial features. "That day in the snow, I'm sure you remember it. I was the only demon from the higher tiers summoned that day. Your uncle and his friends, the destruction of your village; that was all my doing."

Negi was moving, faster than Naruto had ever seen before. His eyes were blank as he struck Wilhelm, who didn't even try to block or dodge, and Negi sent him flying high into the air with a single punch.

It didn't stop there though, and Negi jumped up and continued to punch and kick Herrmann without mercy.

Naruto felt himself grow cold as he watched anger over taking Negi, letting it cloud his mind and fuel his punches. This was a dangerous state to be in; Naruto knew this down to his very soul. He may hit harder and move faster, but without a clear mind to direct his body, it would be easy to defeat him. In essence, Negi was in a state of all out attack, no guard to speak of.

That was when both Kotaro and Naruto saw it; Wilhelm was preparing a very powerful attack and a faint glow that was beginning to strengthen. Both were acutely aware of the spike in demon energy and began to move.

They exchanged a quick glance and each knew what the other would do in a connection of idiots. They jumped up to where Negi and Wilhelm hung in the air, Kotaro tackling Negi out of the way of his attack while Naruto delivered a powerful uppercut to the demon.

All four combatants fell out of the air and landed heavily on the ground.

"I, um, what did I…?" Negi was mumbling as he stared at his smoking palm. It seems the fall had snapped him out of it.

Next to him, Kotaro hissed in pain as he instinctively pressed a hand to his forehead. Pulling it away, blood ran down his face and over his eye.

Noticing this, Negi cried out his name in worry. "You idiot!" the half demon yelled, smacking the back of his head.

"Urgh," Naruto groaned as he stood. Wilhelm had managed to land a rather strong kick when he lashed out, but Naruto reckoned he'd hit him harder than he'd hit him. Seeing, Kotaro smack Negi and his subsequent verbal barrage, Naruto only had one thing to add. "Hey, Kotaro."

"What!" he snapped.

"Give him another smack for me."

"Gladly!" Kotaro answered, delivering another hit to the back of Negi's head. He seemed to enjoy doing that more than was strictly necessary from the gleeful look on his face.

"Alright then," Kotaro finished as Wilhelm began to stand, his overly large arms tipped with claws rubbing his chin. "Let's kick his ass together."

"Yeah."

"Lets."

Wilhelm let out an angry hiss as he saw their combined front. In this form none of Negi's blows had done too much damage, but they had still hurt. He was confident that if it was just the two boys he could win, but with the addition of the blond teen, he was no longer so sure of his victory.

Wasting no time, he attacked, hoping to scatter them. It worked, and the three all went in separate directions. Unfortunately, instead of breaking their unity like he intended, it split them up and allowed them to attack him from multiple directions.

He span in place, letting his arms spin freely extended, light coming from his claws as he did so. The light spread out all around him, forcing them to dodge black lest it turn them to stone.

Once scattered, Wilhelm focused on Naruto. Firing a straight punch a beam of light shot out at Naruto. Just barely dodging, it grazed between Naruto's arm and ribs. With Naruto distracted, Wilhelm lunged forward and wrapped his hand around his throat. Instinctively Naruto's hands tried to pry his hand loose, but the demon immediately plunged him through the wooden stands.

All of this in less than a second, and by the time Negi and Kotaro were back on the attack the damage to Naruto was done. They tried to attack, but in his fully released form he was too quick and easily blocked their strikes, grabbing their limbs. He threw them both into the stands as well.

"I suppose it's a little unfair to fight you in this form," he said as the three stood up, rubble falling off them as they did so. "But seeing as it is three against one, I'm sure you understand."

"No problem at all."

"I wouldn't have it any other way than at your strongest."

"Agreed."

"Excellent, I love that kind of fighting spirit. It will be a shame to see it extinguished."

"Well that's good, because I won't let that happen." Naruto declared.

_*Pop*_

This sound echoed throughout the area.

Turning to investigate, Wilhelm quickly spotted the source of the noise. The girls were free.

They split up immediately, Yue and Nodaka making a dive for the sealing bottle, Konoka and Kuu freeing Setsuna and Chizuru respectively. Meanwhile Asakura ripped the pendant from its chain around Asuna's neck.

The three slimes, which up until now had merely been guarding the prisoners, began to attack them instead. It proved a useless effort though, as Yue and Nodaka chanted _'Lagena Signatoria'_, the spell which would activate the sealing bottle. A bright flash of light heralded the appearance of a magic circle, and vortex manifested, sucking the three in.

"Nice one Ane-san's."

"Well done everyone."

"Let's go," Naruto directed. He looked into each ones eye's and smiled at the look of determination that shown through.

"Sorry guys, I'm going to have to trouble you for front line combat. I've got one last trick up my sleeve."

"Fine by me," Kotaro grinned.

"One distraction, coming right up," he said to Negi. "Hey, hey!" he called to Wilhelm. "Let me tell you something good. My main techniques are wind based. Do you know what that means?"

"So you can call up a gust, so what?"

"That's where you're wrong. Sure, some wind Jutsu are like that, but the true form of Wind Jutsu lies somewhere else entirely." That was when Naruto began to go through hand seals as he spoke. "Their ability to cut!" he shouted, slashing his hand through the air, his index and middle finger extended. From its tip came a blade of blue energy that cut through the air. "**Fuuton: Juuha Shou**."

The blade tore through the air straight into Wilhelm who blocked with his fore arms. The armour shattered under the force of the blow, cutting deep into his arms.

In agony, he didn't notice Kotaro's approach until it was too late, and with his fists powered with _chi_ Kotaro split into four, each landing a blow on his armoured body cracking its shell. Then, each body grabbed a limb and held it in place.

They weren't done yet though, with Naruto closing in to deliver a chakra powered punch to Wilhelm's face, knocking his head back. He was completely open to Negi's electric charged punches to his torso.

Finally Negi finished it with the 'Axe of Thunder' spell. It was a perfect strike that hit dead centre. The demon was out of the fight, lying on the ground, his body smoking and the ground around him charred.

Naruto tried to shake the feeling of numbness from his body as Negi spoke to the downed demon. He transformed back into his human form with a hiss as they calmly discussed what Negi would do with him.

"I won't kill you." Negi firmly decided. "You were only summoned six years ago, and even now you didn't harm the hostages. Plus, you held back, at least until Naruto-nii-san got free. You don't seem like a bad pers-"

"Ah, but I could be a very bad man you know. I am a demon."

"Yes, you are. But still, I refuse to kill you."

Herrmann laughed. After that, he explained a possibility of Konoka saving his village, which confused Naruto slightly seeing as he had no what they were talking about. He suddenly smirked at the idea his Kage Bunshin had thought of, before:

"Naruto-san," the demon called. "Was what you said true? You are the same person from the legends?" he asked when Naruto was by his side.

"Yeah, though from what you told me, they exaggerated a bit."

"Hah, then I truly am lucky to be alive."

"Not that lucky. I wasn't exactly trying to kill you."

"True," he coughed. "Well then, I think I'm off. I look forward to seeing your growth Negi-kun." With that he disappeared into smoke.

* * *

"Oooh, its nice to see them all go at it, isn't it Chachamaru?"

"If you say so mother. Still, you seem glad of his safety."

Four people were stood nearby on a branch of the World Tree. They were watching the battle below with interest.

"Must you? Well, no matter. I just wish I could have seen him really pushed to the limit"

"Me or Negi?" Naruto asked, causing three of the four to girls to suppress the impulse to jump.

"Negi," she answered eventually.

"Yeah well, I wouldn't have interfered but that guy was really pissing me off and just wanted to shut him up."

"And did you hold back even when you were in the fray de gozaru?"

"A bit, but not that much. Which reminds me, when do you want that spar Kaede-chan?"

Said kunoichi grinned. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten. How about the day after tomorrow de gozaru?"

"Sounds go to me. Mana-chan," he turned to the fourth observer, "how about you? Changed your mind?"

"Not really," the tall girl answered.

"That's too bad, because I really wanted to spar with you too. Well, never mind. I'll see you both the day after tomorrow."

With that he disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"Eva-san, how strong do you think Naruto-sensei really is?" Kaede asked suddenly, Mana looking on in interest behind her.

"Stronger than either of you," she smirked, before she and Chachamaru left, their entertainment over.

Soon after, both mercenary and ninja left as well.

* * *

It was morning now, and Negi was sat on the wall of the World Tree terrace. Wincing in pain, nevertheless he couldn't help but smile when he heard Kotaro call his name. At least until he punched him in the face.

"What was that for?!"

"You shouldn't be putting on such a stupid face considering we won. What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, I'm fine." Negi smiled. "Hey, guess what. I've decided to become a Magic Swordsman."

"What? Really? Why?" Kotaro asked these rapid fire questions.

"I've been thinking about it for awhile, but now I'm sure. It was fun fighting by yours and Naruto-nii-san's side yesterday, fighting like that was an amazing feeling…"

"Yeah, yeah, that was awesome! Us guys have gotta do stuff with our fists," he smiled and put Negi in a head lock. "Who is that nii-san anyway?"

"That was Naruto-nii-san. He was in Kyoto too. Didn't you see him then?"

"No. Is he strong? It looked like it."

"Yeah, he's really strong."

"Nice. I can't wait to fight him as well."

"Geez Kotaro, calm down."

"Oh, that's right, we still haven't settled our own battle."

"Ah, that's…."

As Negi made excuses, Naruto watched the two with a smile. Things were getting more fun around here.

"Thanks Sayo-chan. I heard you tried to help Negi."

The previously invisible ghost faded into view with her face down cast. "I couldn't do anything but watch. I was useless."

"Not really. You hit Kotaro when he talked back to me. And you made sure no one was looking when I freed myself. "

"He should be more respectful of his elders," the ghost sighed dismissively, "and I'm pretty good at not being noticed."

"Hey, hey!" he said, lifting her chin so that she was looking him in the eye, "I noticed you, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did," she smiled.

"Now, let's go! I think we were going on a walk?"

Sayo gave him a dazzling smile. "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

Omake part 4

"Was this you're A game?" Nagi asked through teeth gritted in pain.

"Just about. I could power up my techniques a little, and use a wider variety of Jutsu, but this is about it. What about you?"

"Same. I could have used much stronger techniques, but I didn't want to kill you. I'm guessing you're the same?" When Minato nodded in response, Nagi continued. "I wouldn't have held back so much, but you don't seem to have a Magical Barrier or anything of the sort. I thought it only fair to lower the strength of y own."

"You really shouldn't have. If it's not fair, what's the point?"

Nagi grinned. "Now that's the spirit. Do you want to keep going?"

"Yes, but first I have to ask; will you help me find my home?"

"Course. I would have helped anyway, but this way is more fun."

With that they were once again trading blows despite the pain of their injuries. With an ear splitting crack Nagi had silently unleashed yet another lightening bolt from his hands, a bolt which Minato blew out the air. Literally. Blowing out a deep breath with his hands linked, the electricity that was crackling through the air was diffused.

Again they clashed, trading blows as fast as they could.

Gradually they began to make their way back to shore. Eventually they were once again on solid ground.

It was then that the two demons who had been watching from afar struck.

They had known that the fabled Thousand Master was after them, and so had hid. It was a stroke of luck that he had begun to fight with someone of his level, and this seemed to be the best time to strike.

These two demons were not particularly smart or strong, but they passably cunning. They had waited and watched as the two wore each other out, but they knew that even then, if one wasn't distracting the other, they would have no chance against either.

Now they were both tired and distracted. The two demons pounced, their powerful feline legs propelling them forward and straight for the blond and red haired men's throats.

Not that all their planning helped them any seeing as as soon as they were close enough one was incinerated by the Thousand Master and the other was chopped into little pieces by Minato.

That seemed to signal the end of the fight between Minato and Nagi though, as neither one was particularly enthusiastic about continuing after they were interrupted and they had been winding down anyway. Besides, there would be plenty of time for that later.

Nagi sighed and looked at Minato. "So, got a place to stay?"

Minato shook his head.

"Great, then you can stay with me. My wife's a little cranky, but she won't mind. Then tomorrow, we can get started on finding Konaha."

"Konoha," Minato corrected.

"Sure, sure, let's go!" Nagi cheered as he began to lead the way.

With a small smile, Minato followed.

* * *

A/N

Final Fantasy XIII is addictive. It has been exam season. I have been busy.

Taking this into account, I'm sorry for the late update. Hope you enjoy.

Oh, and I'm sorry about some of the scenes having no variance from the manga, but background was needed, but no changes were planned.

Minor Edit: added that a labell to the omake. Sorry about that.

Also want to thank Daughter of ether for Latin and Japanease translations.


	19. Mana and Kaede

Corrections 22/01/11

* * *

It was the day after their battle with Wilhelm and the slime trio and Naruto and Negi were in the resort. They had decided that it would be best to let Negi recover quickly from his aches and pains in there, as well as giving him time to get some sleep. After Negi was sufficiently recovered, he and Naruto began to talk.

After a brief run down of the battle, they had begun to talk about Negi's past, and his father. Negi had used the same magic circle he had used to show Asuna his past to show it to Naruto as well.

He watched as the young Negi put himself in danger in hopes of being saved by his father, and felt sympathy.

He watched as Negi's home was attacked by demons, one of which he could identify as Wilhelm, and couldn't help but think back to when Konoha was attacked.

He was watched as Nagi appeared and saved the two, and felt an irrational feeling of relief knowing that someone had come to help them.

"After that, I put my all in to studying. Nevertheless, all I wanted was the father who had saved me… Asuna disagrees, but sometimes I still think it was my fault. The idea that the attack on my village was punishment for my stupid belief that if I was in trouble, my father would come has never completely left me. That is why I wish to see my father so desperately."

"Asuna's right, there is no way that it was your fault. Your village was attacked by demons when you were 4. How could that possibly be your fault?"

"I was trying-"

"To be in danger so that your dad would save you. Stupid, but understandable. You didn't understand and you wanted your hero, right?"

"Yeah."

"Just because there was an attack that brought him back didn't mean it was your fault, it was the demons and whoever summoned them that are to blame."

"That isn't comforting."

"Well, not much I can say will be able to convince you otherwise. It's something you will have to decide on your own."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience."

"I am. Can we change this thing show that it shows my memories?"

"Yes, just give me a second." A moment later Negi had appeared as a floating ghost next to Naruto and the scenery had changed from Negi hard at work at school to a beautiful village with five stone faces looking down upon it.

"This is my village before it was attacked," he explained. Negi and Naruto smiled at the happy atmosphere, their smiles going as they watched a slightly younger Naruto run past, laughing, a brown hired boy and a very large dog not far behind. "Kiba," he explained in answer to Negi's curious stare. "And this is later…" Naruto continued as the scene changed.

The bright day and happy background noise changed and muted, and both Naruto and Negi found themselves at the bottom of crater, another Naruto nearby pinned to the ground, a man with orange hair in a black cloak with red clouds stood over him.

"My village was attacked and destroyed because I was a target for capture. For a time, I thought it was my fault. I was the target; I was what they were after. It took me awhile, but I realized that blaming myself was pointless. If I should blame anyone, it's the people that attacked the village. Do you understand? You can blame yourself all you want, but in the end, what will it achieve except for making yourself miserable."

"Yeah, I think I do. Thank you Naruto-nii."

"Did you know my father was a hero as well? He was called the 'Yellow Flash' and was feared and respected all across the Elemental countries. He died the night I was born, but I managed to talk to him once, and only once. He told me he was proud of me and what I was doing." Naruto smiled. "That was when I was told that my personal hero and the man I had always looked up to was my dad. I didn't know until then that they were one and the same. I'd always wanted to be like him and be as stron- no, surpass him. I don't know if I have."

Negi couldn't help but smile as the scene switched form the crater to a white area with Naruto and an older man who looked just like him.

"I'm sorry Naruto." The older man said.

"Dad," the Naruto from the memory mumbled, stepping forward.

"I've decided to tell you about me," the real Naruto said. "You've confided in me about your past, so I think it's only fair I do the same. Have you been curious?"

"A little," Negi admitted just as the memory Naruto punched his father in the stomach, causing Negi to jump in surprise. The memory froze. "Why did you do that?" Negi asked, horrified.

"The day I was born, there was an attack by a very powerful demon, and the only way to beat it was to seal it. My father chose me because he believed I could use the power of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and I was made into a Jinchuuriki, or more literally, the power of human sacrifice."

"Such an individual-" he stopped. "This will not be pleasant to hear. Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes, I do." Negi answered seriously.

"Alright," he nodded. "Jinchuuriki are usually treated as sub-human or even less," he explained. Naruto continued to explain a little of what this meant, both in relation to his up-bringing and abilities, showing memories to illustrate his point. His battles with Neji and Deidara were a main point to show him both in control of his powers and out of control of them, but only up into the Third-Tail state.

Suddenly he grinned. "And this is full control," he snapped his fingers and the landscape changed. In it stood Naruto, wisps of chakra floating off him. His stomach and chest had black markings on it; a spiral where his navel would be, framed by an arch that extended to the tops of his legs. In the space beneath the spiral was a fang like marking. A black bar connected the top of the arch to the chest markings. A black bar that went from shoulder to shoulder, curving over the tops and over another pair of spirals, these ones on top of his shoulders. Around his neck were six markings that resembled the number 9. The look was finished off by extra long spikes almost hidden in his already spiky hair.

"So cool," Negi breathed.

"Thanks," Naruto grinned before continuing on. "There are more powerful _physical _forms, but, well, it's hard to remember them very well. They take a lot more concentration to use and I need the Kyuubi's cooperation to go further than the second tail."

"From what you saw," Naruto smiled, referring to the punch Naruto delivered to Minato's stomach, "I wasn't pleased when I found out it was my father that had done that to me. I was both angry and happy at the same time. The man I'd looked up to my whole life was my father. My father was the man that had caused so many problems in my life."

"Thinking about it now, I'm still conflicted, but I forgave him. He did what he had to do for the greater good, a decision I understand."

"Is it a decision you would have made?"

"Not a chance in hell! I would have found another way. Take this to heart Negi; if you have to make a choice and you don't like either option, think of a third. Just because they can think of only those options doesn't mean you won't be able to think of more."

Negi hurriedly agreed.

After that they left the memory spell and destroyed the circle while discussing Negi's childhood, which lead to Naruto noticing something about male friends.

"You're telling me Kotaro's the first male friend your age you've ever had?"

"Well apart from you!" Negi hastened to add.

"Apart from me," Naruto dismissed.

"Well, my only friend when I was little was Anya."

"Alright, that's fine. As long as you had at least one friend." A thought crossed his mind. "Hey, you did have a male role model, didn't you?"

Negi thought about it for a second. "My father."

"One you actually know, not Nagi who you have never met."

"Takamichi." Negi eventually responded.

"That's good. And how often did you see him?"

"Two or three times a year." Negi answered simply.

Naruto stared. "You mean to tell me I'm your first consistent male role model?"

"I suppose," Negi finally agreed.

_'Oh Kami, he's doomed.'_

Naruto sighed. "Alright, when's your next day off?"

"Not for another three days."

"Got it. Then in three days, you, Kotaro and I are going somewhere. I don't care where. You and Kotaro can decide between yourselves. Just don't tell any of your students."

"Why not?"

"Because they would follow us, and sometimes you just need to hang out with the guys. Something you're telling me you've never done."

"You do?"

Naruto sighed again. "Ever heard of a girl's night out?"

Negi nodded. He had a vague idea of what Naruto was talking about, he'd heard of such a thing, but had no idea what actually went on at them.

"Well, you can call this a guys day out instead."

"Oh, okay."

With that, they were agreed.

"What are you doing now?" Negi asked Naruto when he noticed he was headed for the resort exit.

"Well, I've got a couple of things to do. First I've got to talk to the old man about what happened last night, and then I've got to start making arrangements."

"What for?"

"Oh, I'm just setting up a three-way fight," he simply responded.

Negi nodded his head. "Alright," Negi agreed. "I'm just going to go through my normal exercises, and then I'll head to class."

"See ya," Naruto waved good bye.

"Later nii-san."

* * *

In the class-room it was a simple day, apart from the fact that several of the girls were rather tired. The lesson proceeded slower than usual for this reason.

As it ended, "Sensei, could you please help us go over this again?" Haruna asked. She smirked as she said it.

"Us?" Negi couldn't help but ask. Haruna sat at the back next to Zazie-san, and she didn't look like she wanted help.

"Yue, Nodoka and I," she responded.

"Alright, come see me after school any of those who need help," he offered.

"Er, sensei, some of us can't come tonight. Club activities," Ako explained. "Can we come on Saturday?" she asked.

Negi found himself nodding before he realized that it wouldn't be possible. "Ah, sorry, no," he stumbled. "I'm busy on that day. Any other time is fine though."

Hearing this, Asuna perked up. "Plans? What are you doing?" She was Negi's unofficial guardian, though if any one asked or even insinuated as such, she would probably deny it, and she hadn't heard anything about this.

"I'm-" he began, before closing his mouth with a snap. Naruto had specifically asked him not to tell any of his students. Besides, he didn't even know what he was doing that day, not yet anyway. "Never mind. I'll just have to cancel. You students are more important." He sighed.

This had an unexpected reaction. They girls saw him sigh, saw him put on a grin and bear it smile, and couldn't help but shift uncomfortably in guilt. "No, no, it's fine sensei," Ayaka stepped forward to take charge. "I'm sure that the rest of the class could help those that need it and you don't have to cancel your plans." She suggested.

"Really?" Negi asked, smiling brightly.

"Yes sensei," Ayaka and the rest of the class confirmed, delighted at making Negi happy. Negi was about to leave when there was one last question.

"Hey, do you know where Naruto is?" Master asked. "He grabbed Chachazero and ran out this morning."

"He said he had to talk to the Headmaster, then something about having a threesome," Negi innocently told her. With that complete silence fell.

Eva blinked. "Repeat that last part," she demanded.

Surprised, Negi stumbled out, "He said he was setting up a threesome."

"Who with?" yelled a furious Chizuru.

"He didn't say," Negi squeaked. It was genuinely frightening to see an angry Chizuru, especially when it was directed at him.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she immediately apologised, horrified at herself. The other girls stared at her in astonishment, before turning back to Negi to question him further.

Unfortunately he'd already left.

"Who do you think Naruto-sensei is trying to sleep with?" Makie immediately started gossiping, causing Setsuna and Ako to blush.

"Oh man, I hope it's me," Fuuka sighed.

"You do realize it was a threesome, don't you?"

"It would be worth it."

"Onee-chan!" Fumika snapped.

"Who knows, maybe he wants to fulfil the twin threesome fantasy," Haruna suggested, causing Fumika to blush and Fuuka to screw her face in disgust.

"I'd still do it," she affirmed, but from the way her eye twitched as she said it, she was probably lying to herself.

"Well who does he usually spend his time with?"

All eyes turned to Chachamaru and Evangeline.

"Don't look at me!" the blond snapped, her face hot.

The girls turned their accusatory stares to the next closest group that Naruto spent time with, Setsuna, Konoka, Kuu Fei and Asuna.

"Not me aru!"

"I would never," the blushing Setsuna denied, making a poor argument.

Konoka adopted a thoughtful expression, her head tilted back and to the side. An unseen smile formed when she sent a not so sneaky glance at Set-chan. She was so fun to tease.

"Ojou-sama!" Setsuna protested.

"I don't think so! Negi probably got it wrong anyway," Asuna put forth.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Asakura finally spoke. She had been silent up until know, observing the conversation and guesses as they went across the classroom, making notes and discarding or adding names to her list of possible candidates.

Kuu Fei, Eva and Haruna were in the 'Unlikely' list. Asuna, Nodoka and herself were the only ones in the 'No' list.

Setsuna and Konoka were in the 'Possible' list, though they were circled as a pair. If they really were going to sleep with Naruto, then it was probably together. Similarly, Fuuka and Fumika were also in the 'Possible' list, though this time she was careful to put a note saying that together it was unlikely.

Chao had also been put on the possible list; it hadn't escaped her attention how familiar those two were, or should she say how familiar Chao was with Naruto. The blond was familiar with everyone.

"I say we follow him," Asakura finished.

"Wouldn't work de gozaru. Naruto-sensei is hard to follow." Kaede warned.

"Very," Mana reluctantly agreed.

That didn't sound very promising for the idea of following him, if two of the most looked up to girls in class warned against it.

"It's not too hard to spy on him," Asakura disagreed. After all, she had bath time pictures to prove it. Not that she would tell anyone about those without reason. "Alright, whose with me?" she questioned.

"I'll do it," Haruna volunteered, followed by the twins.

"Anymore?"

"I'll help too," Chizuru surprisingly volunteered.

"Chizuru-nee?"

"Yes," she answered, a pleasantly horrifying smile on her face.

Asakura immediately backed off. "Any other takers?" There were none. "Not even you, Nagase-san, Tatsumiya-san?"

"Sorry de gozaru. I'm busy."

"Are you willing to pay?" The red head shook her head no. "Then I'm not interested."

Conversation after that was cut off as their next lesson began, though only a few paid much attention anyway, their thoughts focused more on Naruto and his threesome, causing quite a bit of blushing if their imaginations got a little too active, or at least in one case, frantically drawing whatever came to her while just barely holding back a nose bleed.

* * *

Naruto was just heading back from the headmasters office when he past Kotaro, who seemed to be on his way there. This was the perfect chance to invite him on the trip, Naruto decided.

"Oh, hey Kotaro. I don't think we've been introduced; I'm-"

"Uzumaki Naruto. Nice o meet'cha Aniki," he greeted.

"Right, nice to meet you too. I was just wondering-"

"Fight me!" the excited Kotaro challenged. "I love fighting strong guys, and I from what I've seen you're way up there."

"Go on Naruto-sama, tear him to shreds!" Zero commented from her usual place. Naruto gave her a flat look before turning his attention back to Kotaro.

"Tell you what, I wanted to invite you out with me and Negi, and after that I'll face you one on one, alright?"

"Sweet, what are we doing?"

"Don't know yet, I was hoping you and Negi could decide between yourselves."

"Great, when?"

"Three days, so Saturday."

"Alright, I'll be there." With that the two separated.

"So, what are we doing now, Naruto-sama?" Zero asked after they had left Kotaro.

"Well, I have a three way fight to set up, but seeing as I don't know anywhere quiet enough around here, we are going to visit the Toads to ask for permission for a couple of friends to visit. You can come too, of course."

"Of course!" Zero cheered.

With that, Naruto unceremoniously bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood as he walked out the door. He went through hand seals as he went behind a bush and summoned one of the smaller toads.

"Aniki," it smiled.

"Yo, can you get Gamakichi or one of the elder toads to reverse summon me and my friend?"

"Sure thing Aniki," the toad agreed before disappearing with a pop.

"Hey, you'll be fine away from the school, won't you?" Naruto asked, suddenly worried.

"Hai, I'll be fine as long as mummy's alive. If there's a high magical background I may even be able to move on my own."

"Oh, are you that desperate to get away from me?" Naruto teased with a pout.

"NO!" she yelled. "I mean-" she began before _*pop*_ they were somewhere else.

They were in a clearing surrounded by giant plants, many with large toads resting on the leaves.

"Naruto-chan, how nice to finally see you!"

"Aniki, finally come back, eh?"

"Naruto-chan, let me cook you lunch."

Naruto was greeted this way by Fukasaku, Gamakichi and Shiima respectively. The two elder toads were more or less the same as they were before, the only difference being a few more wrinkles than he remembered.

Gamakichi was another matter. Last time Naruto saw him, he was about twice Naruto's size. Now he was bigger than Gamabunta by a good few feet, and wearing Bunta's coat, a knife at his side.

"Whoa… you got big!"

"You have been gone for quite awhile Aniki. I grew up and took over as boss."

"Boss? No kidding. But, what about Bunta? He's still alive, right?" Naruto desperately asked.

"No, no, Tou-san's fine. He's just retired."

"Ah, thank goodness. I was really worried for a minute there."

"Now c'mon, let's go back to Ma and Pa's to catch up," Gamakichi suggested.

"Alright, let's go!"

"Naruto-chan, where's your friend?" Fukasaku asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. This is Chachazero," he presented the puppet.

"Nice ta meet'cha," she greeted. "Ever kill anyone with that?" she questioned Gamakichi immediately, slightly awe struck at the sheer sixe of the blade.

"Occasionally," he hesitantly responded. "It's always nice meeting one of Aniki's friends. Except the pink haired one, she had one hell of a temper."

"Cool. Was there lots of blood?" Zero continued this line of questioning, completely ignoring the greeting.

"I think that's quite enough," Naruto interrupted. "Let's go," he suggested, as he jumped onto the giant toads head.

Two or three hops later, they had arrived at Ma and Pa's house.

"So what happened to you?" was the first thing he was asked. Naruto explained that he had been sealed and only just got free.

"I see. So why haven't you visited sooner?" Ma asked.

"Ehehe," Naruto stumbled, scratching the back of his head as he thought. "I've been busy."

"Well, it's good to have you back at any rate. We missed you." Ma told him solemnly. "Now, what do you want?"

"What makes you think I want something?"

"Busy my webbing; you only ever come when you want something. Ma worries you know."

"Alright, fine, I didn't just come to visit. I wanted to your help, and a favour."

"You know we'll help you any way we can."

"Thanks," Naruto smiled. "First of all, I'm planning a match with two of the students I'm looking after, and I was hoping you could reverse summon me and them tomorrow morning so we can fight here?"

"Why here?"

"The world at large doesn't know about ninja's and mages and summons, or anything at all like that, and I've been asked to keep it that way. There isn't anywhere I know of near the school that is big enough and private enough to have a decent match. So I thought of here."

"Keeping it secret must be hard on you," Ma commented, "but perhaps it's for the best. The ninja world was plagued by war for a very long time, and when peace finally appeared, ninja's disappeared."

"Then yes, you can have you're little match here. We'll keep a toad with you that you can se as a messenger."

"Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"Think nothing of it. Now, what else did you need?" Pa asked.

"There's a barrier around the school, and I was hoping you would help me release it."

"We'll do our best."

After that, Naruto explained all he knew of the magic, Eva, the barrier, and how it related to Naruto himself.

"I see. Do you have the information you mentioned before?"

"Yeah," Naruto responded, unsealing the scrolls from a piece of paper he had wrapped around his wrist. "Here," he handed it over.

"I'll look over these; it might take a little while though. I'm sure you want to hear a little of what happened after you disappeared?"

"Anything you can tell me!"

"Ma will tell you while I study these."

Naruto turned his attention to the female toad, his eyes shining.

Ma gave him a small smile. "Well, where can I begin," she wondered aloud. "The war ended not long after you disappeared. Without you their plans where useless, and Madara had disappeared as well. The remnants of Akatsuki where hunted down and taken care of."

"So no one knows what happened with Madara?"

"I'm afraid not. He just disappeared. No one could figure it out. Eventually, people came to the conclusion that he and you killed each other?" it was said as a statement, but came out as a question.

Naruto shook his head. "He had me, but never did anything. I don't know what could have happened to him."

Ma nodded. "We visited Konoha from time to time, and told them you weren't dead. We would have had some kind of notice if you were; your name would have disappeared from the scroll. It never did, even when you should have already died from natural causes. We began to give up hope over time, and concluded that your death hadn't been registered for some reason. I'm glad we were wrong," she sniffed. There were tears in her eyes. "Sorry, sorry, here you are wanting to know what happened and I'm crying like a tadpole."

"Its fine, I'm back now," Naruto held his arms out to her and she jumped into them for a hug. "I missed you too. I should have come back earlier."

"Damn right you should have!" she lightly scolded him.

It took her a few minutes, but eventually she calmed herself. "Now, Konoha. As you know, without a summoner, time moves differently here when compared to there." Naruto nodded. "Because of that, our visits to Konoha were few and far between from their point of view. The war ended, and in your name peace was achieved. Of course, with peace there was less and less need for ninja's and it became a dying art."

"Do you know what happened to my friends?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry Naruto-chan. I do know that Tsunade lived to see 70 and Konohamaru became the 8th Hokage, but that's it. After a certain point, we just stopped visiting. There wasn't any reason to continue; no one you would have known was alive, and that's all we cared about- the Konoha you and Jiraiya-chan fought for."

"Thanks for telling me all this," Naruto thanked, rubbing water out of his eyes. "I really appreciate it."

"Think nothing of it Naruto-chan."

It was then that Pa came back to the room. "I have one idea, but I would like to consult with someone with more than a vague knowledge of magic," here he threw Naruto a look, "before I implement it.

"What, what?"

"You said before that your seal and the barrier that this Nagi used intermingled because of the World Tree, correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, did you ever think what repercussions this would have for you?"

"Not really,"_ 'it just wants to eat me.'_ Naruto kept that last part to himself.

"It means that the barrier may see you as part of the World Tree."

"So…?"

"The barrier may see you as part of the campus itself. I can't be sure, but as long as this Eva is near you, it's possible she could leave the barrier. However, from what you've told me, this wouldn't give her her powers back, just the ability to move about freely."

"Are you being serious?"

"Yes, I am."

"Yes! This is great news."

"However, I would still like to speak to someone to confirm it."

"And if it is true?"

"Well, either you escort her everywhere or get her a ring."

"Ring!" Zero shouted, suddenly very annoyed at the idea of Master getting mummy a ring. _'No, not Master, Naruto-sama' _she corrected herself. _'Then again, Naruto-sama and mummy together all the time would be fine too,' _she fantasized, picturing herself in Naruto's arms, mummy smiling just next to him as they let the blood of there enemies fall around them like rain.

"Well, a necklace or clothes would do fine too. Something I could engrave or sew a seal into that would make it seem like she is with you."

"And what about the seal that is still affecting me?"

"Yes, yes, I have an idea for that too, though you will need your full power returned to you in order to pull it off. Again, I will need to consult with a mage in order to make sure I understand it all properly."

"Alright! I'll get Negi-" he began, before trailing off into silence. Negi was really busy, and although he had known alot about basic magic, he doubted he would be able to help. "I'll set up a meeting between you and the Headmaster for as soon as possible, alright?"

"Yes, that's fine. Now, time to eat!" With that, Ma placed their meals consisting of worms and grubs on the table. Naruto turned a light shade of green at the sight. He'd eaten Ma's cooking before, and although he was getting used to it, it was still an experience to avoid.

Subtly he shifted his shoulders to make Zero fall forward and into his arms. Still lost in her fantasy, she only had time to gasp before she was being held the same way she was imagining before.

"Ah, are you alright Zero-chan! It must be because she's away from the school and Eva-chan. I've got to get back right away!" he continued before Zero had time to answer.

"Of course," Ma hurriedly agreed, directing him outside. "Gamayan!" she called out. Almost instantly a blue female toad had appeared. "Go with Naruto-chan and be a messenger for us, would you dear?" she asked.

"Yes Ma," she shyly responded.

"Bye now, dears," Ma waved good bye.

"Visit soon," Pa said.

Then with a Jutsu, Naruto and Zero where back where they stated from, out side in a bush nearby the school. The only major difference was Gamayan, who had taken up residence on the top of Naruto's head, to Zero's silent annoyance.

"Alright then, one last meeting with the old man and then we swing by the classroom to get Sayo-chan and begin operation: Anger.

It was a quick trip to the Headmasters office where he revealed he would be more than happy to speak to Fukasaku on Saturday, the day he next had anytime free.

After that, they went to 3-A's classroom.

"Sayo-chan, you here?" Naruto called into the silent room.

Suddenly he felt a little chill and she appeared right in front of him, hugging him, or the closest she could get to it. "Naruto-sensei!"

"Hey Sayo-chan. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me and help me plan something."

She suddenly looked up at him with a blush. "You're not really planning a three-some, are you?"

_'Threesome? What's that?'_ "What gave you that idea?" he questioned.

"Negi-sensei said you were planning a threesome."

_'Oh, he must mean the three-way fight I told him about. That's a weird way to refer to it though. It somehow fills me with dread, embarrassment and for some reason –I wish-. Weird.'_

"Yeah, I am. If you help me, I'll let you watch," he offered.

"W-Watch?" she squeaked, picturing a naked Naruto on top of another woman, a third stroking his chest. Her face was so red at this point she thought her heart might start beating.

"If you want. I would like your help though."

"I will not," she refused.

"Oh, fine," he sighed. "You can still watch if you want though."

"NOO!" she squealed as she ran out the window and away from him, her entire ghostly body an interesting shade of red.

"What's with her?"

"Who knows, Naruto-kun."

"Naruto-sama, let's go!" Zero urged.

Naruto agreed and set off for the cottage, where they could eat and work out the finer details of the plan.

They arrived back at the cottage to find Eva waiting for them at the door. She did not look happy.

"Is it true you're having a threesome?" she immediately demanded.

"Yeah, so? What's the big deal?"

She turned red. "I-I-I," she stuttered.

Naruto was confused for a moment, before finally it clicked. Maybe she wanted to watch or even join in the fight. "Ah, sorry Chibi-chan," he said, feeling genuinely sorry for her. "I'm doing it outside of Mahora, otherwise I'd let you come."

"Why is that?" she asked, curiosity briefly over taking all her other conflicting emotions.

"I don't know where else we could get the privacy; we're probably going to be getting pretty loud."

"Why don't you use my resort?" she offered. That way she could, depending on how she felt, interfere or not.

Naruto shook his head. "If I was confined for 24 hours with them, I'll probably be tempted to go another round or two, and I don't think they'd be able to take it. I'm already planning the first round to be a good three or four hours."

"T-three or four hours?"

"Yeah, why? That's normal for me. I just hope they can last that long."

Hearing this, Eva began to walk up the nearby stairs.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be in my room; no one is to disturb me." She instructed.

Once Eva was out of sight, Naruto made his way to his room.

The planning began.

* * *

It was very dark where Naruto was now, though not dark enough to hinder him a great deal. It felt slightly strange to Naruto; he knew what he was doing was going a bit far, but really, there would be no permanent damage except maybe a wounded pride.

He lent over to apply the finishing touches when he felt the cold and solid presence of steel on the side of his head. Naruto froze. Not just stood still, the true absolute stillness required to use Natural Energy.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see that her eyes were closed and her breathing still the slow and steady of sleep. A stark contrast to the hard as steel arm that held a gun pointed at his head.

Slowly, Mana retracted her arm and placed the gun under her pillow again. With no movement, magic or chi present, she had subconsciously decided that there was no danger.

Not far away, a Naruto clone had a similar experience with a knife at its neck.

Carefully, Naruto applied the dye to Mana's hair. Another clone was grabbing two sets of clothes; the first a school uniform, the second an outfit similar to what he remembered seeing her fight in.

Naruto took a step back and admired his work. Nodding in satisfaction, took a photo before walking out the door, making sure to shut it with a slam loud enough to wake his targets.

In the halls were four Naruto's, two of which were holding clothes. He sent those ahead and chucked his camera at the third who he sent to where he kept his black-mail stash before calmly walking through the dorms and out the doors.

Kaede and Mana would hopefully catch up and begin the chase right away. He made sure of it. After all, the only way to make rivals fight along side each other was to present them with a common enemy. In this case, one Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

As soon as she heard her door slam, Mana was up and out of bed, her gun in hand and scanning her surroundings.

Her room mates were groggy but awake as she looked for possible threats. She could neither see nor sense anything. She spun to face her room mates to question them when she found herself stumbling.

Her foot had gone right through a floor board and came within millimetres of breaking her nose.

Shocked into wakefulness, Makie and Ako finally noticed something.

"What happened to your face/hair?" they both cried out.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

The girls pointed her to a mirror. In it she saw a different person entirely. This person had long blond and pig-tailed hair and bright blue eyes. The only reason she was still recognisable was her dark skin tone. Her arms were wrapped in orange tape and the words 'Uzumaki Mana-chan' were written on her nightgown.

On her face were six whisker marks, three on each cheek, and if that wasn't enough to implicate Naruto, the message written on a post-it stamp was more than enough to confirm it in her mind.

_Dear Imouto-chan,_

_Hope you like the look; it took me awhile to perfect it._

_Lucky for me you sleep like a baby._

_Signed, Naruto-nii-chan._

_P.S. Your sleeping face is cute_

_P.P.S. The look is permanent unless you get the right remover from me._

Furious, Mana slammed the door open and shut as she left the bathroom, intending to strangle the blond shinobi until he handed over the remover.

Then she caught sight of said blond out the window, cheerfully waving at her.

He was blatantly mocking her! Grabbing her gun she took aim, but he was already running away backwards, smiling at her. She wouldn't be able to guarantee a hit from this distance.

Grabbing a few more guns and storing them in the usual place, she took the closest route to Naruto. Straight through the window. She was just lucky it was open. Funny, she didn't remember the window being open.

At the same time to Mana's left, Kaede emerged from her room's window.

Her hair, eyes and clothes were in the same state as Mana's, though Kaede was no where near as angry.

The tall ninja was naturally much more laid back than Mana, and after putting up with the twin's pranks, she was less sore about the whole thing.

Whereas Mana's pride had been badly wounded by Naruto managing to sneak into her room and paint her face, all while having the gall to say she slept soundly, Kaede, who had had a very similar message, was more amazed than angry.

She was proud of her skills and Naruto showing her up may have been a small wound to her pride, the fact that he had managed to do it at all to both her and Mana at seemingly the same time had just made her all the more curious about him.

Naruto seemed to keep just within their sights, erratically moving from side to side and from the tree-tops to the ground.

Now that he knew a little about guns, he wasn't keen on getting shot, especially as he had an angry Mana behind him.

* * *

"Zero-san," Gamayan hesitantly began, "is there something wrong?"

Chachazero had been staring intently at the toad, and it was beginning to creep her out a little. They were waiting for Naruto to arrive so that they could begin the reverse summoning process. His two clones with the clothes had already gone on ahead.

"Noffin's wrong. Just wotchin ya."

"May I ask why?"

"Don't see why not," she shrugged.

"Then why are you watching me?"

"Thinkin' of the best way to get rid o' ya with'ut Naruto-sama findin' out it were me."

"Try it bitch! I'll tear you limb from limb and use you as a toilet!" the toad instantly replied pulling a shuriken from seemingly nowhere.

"?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't respond to threats well." She shyly apologised.

"Ya know what. I think we're gonna get along fine." Zero grinned.

"Oh, here comes Naruto-kun," commented Gamayan.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Naruto had scooped them both up. "Count down one minute, then summon me and three others."

"Three?"

"Mana, Kaede and Zero-chan."

With a nod, Gamayan disappeared and began the count down.

10 seconds after she had gone Mana and Kaede burst into the clearing. Mana was already training her gun on him, causing Naruto to pale.

She pulled the trigger three times, and Naruto only just manage to dodge the projectiles by millimetres. As long as it wasn't at point blank range, or a sneak attack, Naruto was confident he could continue to dodge.

"Calm down Mana, we need him alive in order to return ourselves to normal."

"Nonsense, we can just raid his corpse."

"It's not that bad."

"Like hell! I have pigtails."

"I'm sure there's a good reason for this."

"We'll see."

"Naruto-sensei, why did you do this?" Kaede turned her attention to the calm Naruto now that she was reasonably sure the mercenary wouldn't start shooting again.

"I had my reasons," he skirted the issue. "I'll explain in a minute, but first-" Naruto sprang into action, jumping toward the pair.

He had twenty seconds left.

In three seconds, he was in front of the two girls, having dodged three more bullets and a couple of kunai on his way.

He knocked the hand with the gun away from himself but was surprised when the other hand came up, another handgun present. He ducked under that arm, grabbed Mana's nightgown and pulled, hoping that she would stumble into Kaede who was just behind him, bringing them together so he could grab them both for the reverse summoning.

What he failed to take into account was how thin the nightgown was compared to how steady the mercenary's legs were. Instead of pulling her, it just ripped her top right off, and two brown nipples came into view.

Momentarily distracted, Kaede's punch knocked him right into the large chest in front of him. I response, Mana held him close and tried to suffocate him with her chest.

Naruto lightly bit her in response, not hard enough to do any damage but enough to cause her to gasp and loosen her grip for a second. That was all he needed to twist out of the heavenly valley and back off right into Kaede's heavenly valley. Spinning, Naruto dodged her kick and grabbed her leg, pulling her pyjama bottoms right off and causing her to stumble back.

He stood between the two huge school girls, one wearing only a pair of panties, the other only a sheer pyjama top. He gulped. _'I blame Negi.'_

Kaede moved first with a punch which he ducked under. Grabbing her waist, he lunged at Mana and tackled into her.

_*Pop*_

When Naruto opened his eyes, he could see almost nothing, though he felt warm and soft. He unintentionally squeezed, causing two separate voices to gasp and sigh.

On top of him lay Kaede, his arm wrapped around her waist and his hand cupping her bare ass. Beneath them both was Mana, Naruto's other hand grabbing one her naked breasts, the kunoichi face inches from her own. Both were back to normal, the summoning removing the chakra controlled cosmetics.

They blushed and wriggled when he squeezed, and came within centimetres of kissing. They could feel the others hot breath on their lips, causing them to blush as Naruto squeezed again, trying to wriggle free. Not a good idea considering his position at waist height.

They quickly separated finally allowing Naruto to take in a gasping breath.

"My my, Naruto-chan, Jiraiya-chan would be proud."

Mana's and Kaede's attention immediately snapped to the source of the voice, a small and elderly green toad.

The kunoichi froze at the sight of him, while Mana couldn't help the words that slipped out. "Yoda?"

The elderly toad's attention turned to them. "You must be Naruto-chan's friends. I'm Fukasaku, but you can call me Fu-sama.

"Geez you old geezer, lay off." Naruto snapped. "And don't say Ero-Sennin would be proud. It makes me feel dirty." Naruto turned to the surprised Mana and the petrified Kaede before quickly averting his eyes. "Call him whatever you like," an embarrassed Naruto instructed.

Mana nodded; Kaede remained unresponsive.

"Kaede-chan, are you okay?" the blond hesitantly approached the kunoichi. No response. Finally, Naruto laid a hand on the taller girls shoulder and lightly shook.

"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Naruto covered his ears at the scream, Kaede finally mobile as she tightly grasped Naruto and buried her head in his shoulder.

"Sorry about this Naruto-sensei, but I've always been afraid of frogs," her voice shook as she spoke.

"These are toads," Naruto pointed out.

"Doesn't matter! I'll be fine in a moment; I was just so surprised to see _giant slimy toads_!"

"Sorry Kaede-chan. I didn't know, so take all the time you need. I'll make it up to you." He told her as she calmed, one hand stroking her head, the other holding her close.

Mana fought to hide her annoyance at the scene.

"I assume you're the one who brought us here. Why?" she asked.

"I kind of wanted to fight you, and will you please get dressed!" he finished as he felt his eyes begin to wander mid sentence.

"I didn't bring a change of clothes," she dryly said.

Instantly a red faced Naruto clone handed her a set.

The three Naruto's closed their eyes as she changed.

Finally, Kaede had calmed. Lifting her head from Naruto's shoulder, she looked around the clearing, flinching a little at every giant frog she saw.

Her fear wasn't usually this bad, but that was only when dealing with regular sized frogs and toads, where as long as they weren't near her, she was fine.

"Here you go," another Naruto clone presented her with clothes, and she changed into them with little fuss.

"Hey guys!" Naruto's voice echoed across the clearing, drawing every toad's attention. "If you could do me a favour and go somewhere else for a couple of hours, I'll be very grateful. It's just, one of my friends is afraid of toads and I didn't realise."

"Aniki," came the croaked response. "You better make it up to us!"

"I will!" he called as the toads all hopped out of view. "Better?" he asked Kaede.

She nodded. "Much."

"Now that we are both dressed, tell us why you brought us here."

"I wanted to spar with you both. Kaede, you asked me to spar with you, and Mana, I wanted to spar with you so that I could get used to facing a gun user like you."

"You could have just asked."

Embarrassed, Naruto replied. "It was more fun this way. I wanted to fight you both at the same time, two on one. That's why. At Mahora, we would have attracted too much attention."

"We could have just used a barrier," Mana pointed out.

"Ah, I didn't think of that." Naruto confessed.

"Baka," Kaede sighed.

"Fine then, I'll accept the job. The first time is free, but after that you'll have to pay."

"I would have preferred to spar one-on-one, but I suppose this will be fine de gozaru," she told him, unconsciously her checking weapons, the same as Mana.

"Thank you both," he gushed. "I really need a challenge." Naruto smirked. "How about we make it interesting?"

"Go on," Mana encouraged. Kaede raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Mana, if I win you don't charge me for any of our spars, and we will spar once a once a week- one on one the first week, two on one the second, then repeat. Is that alright?"

"And what would I get?"

"Anything you want."

"A new gun, plus replacement ammunition for what I use today."

"Deal."

"What about me? Shall we also make a bet de gozaru?"

"What do you want?" he shrugged.

"If I win, you have to do whatever I say for two weeks."

Naruto nodded. "And if I win, you have to agree to the same as Mana. Plus," he added, "you have to… I don't know. You'll just owe me a favour that you can't say no to. Deal?

Both girls nodded.

"We have an agreement. We keep going until either I or both of you can't carry on. No aiming to kill. Apart from that, anything goes. Sound fine?"

"Yes."

"The contract has been accepted."

Naruto placed Zero nearby but far enough out of the way that she would be safe. He wouldn't notice for quite some time, but one of the toads picked her up and moved so that she could watch with them.

Naruto went back to where he was and assumed a Tai-Jutsu stance.

Shundo. The art of near instant movement. This is the move that Kaede used to get behind Naruto.

Straight away Naruto span around to block her punches; a bad move on his part as it left him open to Mana who fired two more shots, hitting Naruto in the back.

He stumbled forward and took a punch to the face from Kaede for his trouble.

"Rubber bullets," Mana explained. "If these were real, you would most likely be dead."

Wincing, Naruto stood and grinned. The two girls were stood on either side of him in a pincer. Naruto took a third route and charged to the side, dodging bullets from one side and kunai from the other.

Hiding behind one of the large plants, Naruto put a plan into action. He grabbed four Kunai and as he moved from this position to the next, threw them full force at the two girls, one of which was keeping distance, the other charging right at him.

It was nigh impossible to fight Kaede while simultaneously dodging Mana's shots, all of which were on target. Naruto compensated by keeping the kunoichi between him and Mana as much as possible.

Twisting around Kaede, Naruto threw another set of kunai at Mana. She dodged two and knocked two more out the air with ease.

Suddenly Kaede smirked and with a quick set of hand seals while Mana covered her, 11 Kaede's were surrounding him.

Dodging and weaving through the clones, Naruto managed to dispel a couple of them with well placed kicks and punches. It was like this that Naruto discovered one difference between his and her Kage Bunshin's. Hers could take more of a beating. Still, no matter how good he was at dodging, he was at a disadvantage and the clones dealt quite a bit of damage. He was hardy though as he kept an eye out for the tell-tale signs.

Suddenly Naruto tackled Kaede to the ground. The real Kaede. Flipping over her, he delivered a kick to another two clones, and then sprayed the lot of them in kunai, dispelling them all.

He just barely managed to roll off of the kunoichi to dodge another blaze of bullets from Mana. He got up and charged her, which she side stepped. Aiming a punch at him, he twisted around and threw another set of kunai, which she had trouble dodging at such close range. In response she fired her guns at super close range, and he found himself having to redirect Mana's aim rather than evade the bullets directly.

Then Kaede joined the fray, and Naruto found himself getting beaten badly. For the last time he threw a set of kunai, twisting around so they came from another angle. Another hard dodge, but nothing hit.

A blow to his cheek from Mana from one side, followed by a kick to the stomach from the front by Kaede had him down on the ground.

The two girls stood over him and smirked.

"My new gun is expensive you know. I hope you can afford it."

"We'll have fun on these two weeks."

Weakly, Naruto raised his right arm. He was battered and bruised, but he was smiling. The two girls were much better off, though Naruto had still managed to land a few blows. He let his arm fall to his side.

"_Fuuton: Kuudan," _Naruto's voice called out from all around. Next to Naruto, the two kunai Mana had knocked out of the air disappeared in a puff of smoke to be replaced with a couple of Naruto's. They went through a set hand seals and shouted out _Suiton: Suijinheki_.

Spitting water from out of their mouths, a barrier was erected around the original Naruto. From a dozen different directions came a volley of compressed air. The first few were easy to see and dodge, but then the distortions in the air became harder for the two girls to see as they blurred into one another.

Weaving in and out like a dancer, Mana evaded and shot down as many spheres of air as she could. Kaede summoned clones which surrounded her, providing her a shield against the onslaught.

Mana was hit first to be hit; first a blow clipped her shouler, knocking her off balance, and then her back was hit full force before finally she was hit in her stomach, knocking her down.

Kaede lasted little longer under the barrage, but eventually her wall of clones were dispelled and her efforts to evade the compressed air proved futile. She too fell to the ground.

The assault stopped.

Coughing and groaning, the two girls slowly stood.

The water barrier lowered.

"Shall we keep going?" Naruto asked as he stood tall, looking quite beaten up, flanked by two fresh looking copies.

"Of course. I won't lose that easy."

"Same de gozaru."

Naruto smiled. "Then I'll get a bit serious." Nearly two dozen clones appeared from behind the plants, flinging kunai at the two as they ran towards them. They engaged in hand to hand combat with the clones, but even after Kaede summoned as many clones as she was able, they were still out numbered, and this time it was they that were being beaten.

The clones were flimsy compared to her own, but they were also more intelligent and skilful in their movements. They weren't quite as fast as the original Naruto though, so Kaede and Mana held the edge.

Then suddenly the real Naruto was there, two bright blue balls in his hands.

The four remaining clones dispelled, creating a small smoke screen. "Rasengan!" Naruto shouted as he drove the weakened chakra balls into their stomachs as they were tired and distracted, blowing them back.

"You didn't have to go that far," Pa scolded him as he came into sight.

"They'll be fine." Naruto defended.

"Just let us treat the wounds." He few largish toads lumbered into view.

Soon a small troop of toads had appeared and proceeded to heal Naruto and the girls. Mana could barely move, and so was thankful for the treatment. Kaede would have displayed similar sentiments if she wasn't frozen in fright as the slimy webbed toad arm ran along her flash, healing her.

So Naruto decided to keep her distracted.

"Kaede-chan, I hear you're a ninja. What rank are you?"

"I'm a chuunin, though I'm hoping to take my Jounin test during the summer" she managed to tell him through gritted teeth. Her eyes were closed and she was doing her best to ignore what exactly was treating her. "You?"

"Technically I'm a genin, but that's only because I was too busy to take the test," Naruto told her, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

When he had said he was a genin, both Kaede and Mana's mouths had opened wide in shock, immediately imagining how strong the Chuunin and Jounin were. They were almost relieved to hear him say he had been held back.

"I should probably be- I was on my way to Hokage," he boasted proudly.

"I can see why," Mana started diplomatically, "but if you can just barely defeat two high chuunin level opponents, then I'm not sure you're ready yet."

"Oh, I haven't gone full power yet," he easily stated.

The two girls opened their eyes wide in shock. "You held back?" Kaede choked.

Naruto frowned before answering. "Not really. I didn't hold back while I was fighting you, but I also have a couple of power ups I can use, though they have restrictions. I'll show you one of them next time," he grinned.

Turning his attention to Mana, "So Mana-chan, how did you get into the mercenary business?"

At least that was what he thought she was. He wasn't quite sure so he just blurted it out. She would correct him if he was wrong, Naruto reasoned to himself.

"I was the partner of a Magister Magi in the past," she admitted, slowly taking out her Pactio card. On it was a picture of a young Mana with two guns, the Roman numeral for one at two corners. Apart from her picture and name, it was blank. "We travelled all over Europe and Asia to areas of unrest and helped those in need. He died a few months before I started middle school. I just never stopped helping people; for a fee of course."

"Losing someone close to you is hard," Naruto sympathised. "I'm sure he'd be happy to know you're still helping people."

Mana nodded her head in thanks while Kaede stayed silent. This was something she already knew and had spoken about.

"What about you Kaede? Did you become a ninja because of family?"

"Yes. They weren't going to teach me, but I insisted. I am very happy they finally agreed."

Naruto smiled before noticing just how much time had past. They really had been fighting for close to two hours, and this healing had really taken some time as well. "Ahh, is it that late already. You two have class to get to. Here, get changed," he told them, handing them their uniforms. Tired and still some-what sore, they did so, an occasional groan their only complaint. They had interrupted the toads healing so they weren't fully recovered; Toads were not by nature healers, that was the Slugs forte. Very few practiced Medical Jutsu, and even less were very good at it, so even after so much time spent healing, their patients were not at tip top shape.

As they dressed, Naruto picked up Zero, who was disappointed by the lack of blood but pleased with the fight nevertheless. He couldn't find Gamayan anywhere. Slightly disappointed, he made his way back to the girls for the trip back.

Kaede clung to him slightly as they were sent back to Mahora nearby the school, partly frightened, partly just plain tired. Similarly, Mana used him as a support beam.

After spending that much energy fighting both short and long range, Mana was satisfied for the first time in a long time that she had improved. Trying to incorporate the targets movements was something she was very good at, but for the first time in a long time, that skill had been greatly tested.

Kaede had similarly learned something, even if it was only a better way to use her shadow clones more effectively.

With both of them using Naruto as a support, they made their way to Negi's class; Negi was taking attendance when Mana opened the door with a clack.

Slowly, Naruto eased them into their seats, and went to leave.

"Geez Naruto-nii-san," Negi shook his head, slightly worried about his students but more amused at how hard they seemed to have pushed each other

Naruto said nothing, only giving Negi a happy grin as he waved and walked away.

Mana groaned as she shifted in her seat. Kaede similarly made a noise of protest as she tried to make herself comfortable.

"Are you two okay?" Negi asked, worried for his students health.

"We're fine Negi-bozu. Naruto-sensei was just a bit hard on us de gozaru."

"And after we'd been dominating for so long too."

Kaede nodded. "His stamina is not to be taken lightly."

"Was it good?" Shina asked with a blush.

_'What a strange question,_' Mana thought. Then all of a sudden memories of yesterday's class came flooding back.

"No! It's not what you think. It was training." The flustered gunslinger shouted out.

Kaede glanced in her direction confused, before she too began to remember yesterday's gossip. "Mana is telling the truth, it was only training de gozaru."

"Yes, well, I bet you got a lot of practice in," Ayaka sniffed.

Despite their protest, the majority of the class didn't seem to believe them. Well, it was more like it was too good of an opportunity to tease them; only a hand full didn't believe them.

Meanwhile, Asakura fumed. She hadn't been able to find Naruto-sensei for most of yesterday, and even when did she had been unable to learn much. Then after what happened this morning she and her helpers had followed, but ultimately lost Naruto and the two.

* * *

Two days later, Naruto came to pick Negi up for their day out. Sneaking into Negi's room wasn't difficult. In fact, everyone was already awake, though Asuna was still in her pyjamas. Konoka was in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

Naruto went unnoticed until Asuna attacked Negi for saying she was upset for being last in class and Negi revealed he was recording a letter for his cousin.

"So mean," he commented, causing Asuna and Negi to turn to him.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I came to get Negi. But first he should change," Naruto told him when he noticed Negi was wearing his green suit.

"Naruto-nii-san!" Negi smiled, waving him over. Hesitantly, Naruto approached.

Negi turned and introduced him to seemingly no one. "This is the Naruto I was telling you about. He's really been teaching me a lot."

Naruto smiled and waved, unknowingly causing a certain Springfield to blush brightly at his sudden appearance in the letter from her little cousin. At least she will when she gets the letter.

After that, Negi finished his letter to his cousin before going to change, at Naruto's insistence.

"Where are you two going?" Asuna asked.

"Three," Naruto corrected, "and I don't know; I left it for Negi and Kotaro to decide."

"How come we're not invited?" Konoka pouted.

"Sorry, its guys only; that's why I told him not to tell any of his students, they would probably follow us."

"You seem to have a really bad opinion of our class in regards to Negi, don't you?" Asuna deadpanned.

"Well, every time I seem to see Negi with them he seems to be being molested in some way. I mean, you two, Setsuna and some of your classmate's are fine, but some of the others…"

Asuna nodded her head; Ayaka and Makie sprang instantly to mind.

It was then that Negi cam out of the bathroom, dressed in something far more casual, to Naruto's relief.

"So did you and Kotaro decide where we are going?" was the first thing out of Naruto's mouth.

Negi scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "We couldn't agree; I wanted to go to an amusement park, but Kotaro wanted to go to around picking fights."

Naruto shook his head. "We are not doing that; the amusement park it is."

"I wouldn't bother. The Mahora Festival is soon, you may as well just wait for that," Konoka told him.

"Festival?"

"Yeah! Mahora is hosting a huge school festival in about three weeks," she excitedly told him. Her eyes suddenly widened. "Why don't you help us with the set up; that way you could get to know he rest of the class!"

"Er…"

"That's not a bad idea actually," Asuna agreed.

Naruto turned to Negi, looking to gauge his reaction. Negi was looking up at him with shinning eyes at the prospect.

"Alright, alright, I'll help." Naruto agreed.

"Great; we should be deciding what to do tomorrow, so be there!"

"Yeah, yeah. Come on Negi, let's go." With that the two boys left, waving good bye to the two girls,

"But what are going to do?" Negi asked as they walked to the station they were meeting Kotaro.

"Well, I need to do a bit of shopping, and hopefully when we are out, something will jump out at us."

Negi nodded.

"Hey, Negi, Aniki," Kotaro greeted them. He was wearing the Mahora boy's uniform, which Negi noticed immediately.

"What's with the uniform?"

"I decided to transfer in."

"Why?" a confused Naruto asked.

"Well, there are all these powerful people here. Why wouldn't I stay?"

Negi and Naruto nodded their heads.

"Where are you staying?"

Kotaro froze and paled. "Chizuru-nee's place."

"Oh, cool," Negi nodded as they got in the train.

It was full of school girls, all of which were staring at the trio. Naruto had been noticing that ore and more lately. When he had first arrived, he had just taken to attention to be idle curiosity that would fade. It did, a little, but now the attention was back with a vengeance.

Naruto wasn't the only one being stared at; Negi and Kotaro were drawing their fair share of attention too. Despite themselves, the three shifted uncomfortably at all the intent gazes.

Then Naruto caught a couple of the whispers. "Hey, is that cutie taking his little brothers out?"

"No, no, don't you know. That's the famous child teacher and the mysterious hottie. The other one is probably their friend."

"Oooh, so that's them-" Naruto could hear no more due to the sudden giggling, but what he had heard made him blush.

The trip went on in silence broken only by the occasional whisper that was too low for Negi to hear, and too uninteresting for Kotaro to pay attention too, but it made Naruto blush. Finally, the trio got off the train to the sound of more light giggling as some of the braver girls smiled shyly and waved

Naruto, Negi and Kotaro waved back; the former out of instinct, the second because he was being polite, and the latter because his companions were doing it, and it would be rude to not wave back, though he usually didn't care.

"What was that about?" Kotaro asked.

"What was what about?" Negi was confused. Wasn't that pretty much normal?

"Nothing much," Naruto answered. "Now let's go."

"Where to first?"

"I need to go shopping, may as well get that out the way."

"What for?"

"A ring, or a necklace, or something like that." Naruto wanted to get this done as soon as possible so he could get it out the way. He'd already summoned both Ma and Pa to meet with the Headmaster before excusing himself for this trip.

"What for?" Kotaro asked.

"Eva-chan. I got some help for our little project, and the old geezer say he might have figured out a way to let Eva-chan leave the school grounds, but I need something she can wear. She won't be able to use her powers, but she'll be able to wander."

"I'm so sorry, I forgot all about that!" Negi bowed low in apology.

"Hey, no problem. Without your help, we wouldn't even get this far." Naruto dismissed Negi's apology easily.

"Well, we better go to the bank first then," Chamo suggested, making his presence known. "We have to check your budget," he explained, trying to be responsible.

They made their way to a bank machine and, following Chamo's instructions because Naruto had no idea how to work this thing, checked his balance.

"Aniki, why are there so many digits."

"I-I don't know," Naruto answered truthfully.

As Kotaro and Negi stared in silent awe, Chamo began to freak out, scrambling around Negi's head before taking a flying leap onto Naruto and scurrying up his jacket until he was right in Naruto's face.

"Eight zeros! Eight! Since when were you so rich?" Chamo raged.

It was true. Mostly. According to the machine, Naruto had 690,500,095 yen.

Naruto was highly confused. Last time he had thought about money, he owed Mahora a fair amount. Then again, that was two months ago now.

Confused, Naruto called the headmaster.

_*"Hello," the secretary answered._

_"Erm, hello. It's Uzumaki Naruto and I wanted to speak to the Headmaster about my money."_

_"Hold please."_

_A moment later, he was put forward._

_"Hello Naruto-kun."_

_"Hey, old man. I was just checking my money and I've got about 700 million yen. That can't be right, can it?"_

_"Hoho, didn't I tell you? Those books you gave me were mass hit after mass hit. That money is all yours. In fact, I hope you don't mind that I used some of your money to finance the upcoming festival."_

_"N-No, not at all. T-thanks," Naruto stumbled, hanging up.*_

Looking into those expectant faces, Naruto blinked. "There's no mistake. It's all mine."

"How!"

"Apparently the Icha Icha books were a huge success."

"Icha Icha, you mean those perverted/Kami sent/ boring books?" Negi, Chamo and Kotaro asked all at once.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, a small smile spreading across his face. Ero-sennin would be happy.

"Let's go spend some!" Chamo yelled, snapping them out of it. Quickly, Naruto took out 45,000 yen and split it evenly between them, 15,000 each. They balked at first, but when Naruto insisted that this entire trip was on him, they couldn't help but agree. He just seemed so happy to treat them.

They began to wander from place to place; Negi dragged them into a Magical book store that had been recommended to him. Kotaro complained at first, but when he found a few fighting techniques, he was happy.

Naruto browsed, but didn't find anything interesting, though Negi and Kotaro both made purchases.

Next, Kotaro took them to the movies and made them sit through two of the most action packed movies showing, back to back. Not that either complained apart from the odd comment about how something wasn't that cool; usually when something happened that one of them experienced in real life.

Eventually though, they found themselves wandering the shops in search of something that could be used as Eva's ticket to freedom.

Eventually, something caught his eye, though it wasn't exactly an item on the list. Naruto made another quick call to make sure it was alright to use. Fukasaku confirmed it was.

Naruto slipped into the shop and bought the black choker. It was perfect; it would be less likely to be pulled off or otherwise removed than a necklace, and didn't have the symbolism of a ring. Plus it was more durable then clothes. It was perfect.

Once the shopping was done, they stopped nearby to have dinner.

"Yeah, I'm an orphan too," Kotaro admitted. "Being half human and half Dog Demon, I was never accepted by either so ever since I was little I've been working for food and lodging."

Naruto winced in sympathy while Negi kept his silence.

"So we seem to have a meeting of orphans, huh?"

"I guess," the half demon shrugged.

"Yeah," was Negi's soft reply. Technically, Negi wasn't an orphan as Nagi was still alive, and Kotaro honestly didn't know nor care if his parents were alive or had just abandoned him, but that didn't really matter to Naruto. Growing up without parents was all the same to him.

"To orphans," Naruto solemnly toasted. They weren't sure exactly what he meant by that, not even Naruto fully knew. A mix of sadness, loneliness, happiness and the ability to overcome were all present.

"Orphans," the two boys raised their glasses before sipping.

The serious moment was broken as their food arrived. They were in a normal restaurant; slightly fancier than the typical family restaurant, it was the type of place you would go if you were out to celebrate something, but not so high end as to stand out in their casual clothes.

They chatted as they ate, Negi offering to teach Kotaro if he needed it, as his annoyance and Naruto's amusement. Negi also offered tips on what he should expect in the school.

"You should try to miss as few lessons as possible; it creates problems if you have to catch up. And never be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand…"

Kotaro rolled his eyes at the teachers' attitude, briefly catching Naruto's gaze. Leaning over, the blond whispered "If you ever get bored and ditch, come visit me at the cottage. You can hang out with me."

Grinning, Kotaro nodded. Negi hadn't even noticed, too lost in his speech.

They talked about their best battles and favourite tactics as time past. Sports, music and television went almost un-discussed as none had any interest in them; the sports were boring to guys who could run faster and hit harder than even the best athletes, and they found the other two subjects either too time consuming or too new to discuss. They did talk about the movies they saw though, going through their favourite parts. Things had begun to get strange by the time they got to another normal topic though.

"Sshe literally fell on my lipsh," Negi slurred. "I mean, why do I always seem to find myshelf with a bunch of naked girls? It's just not fair."

"Damn right it's not!" Naruto unintentionally yelled out.

"Why are you guys making such a big deal out of this," growled Kotaro, downing another glass of 'juice'.

All three were flushed as they began to get more and more rowdy.

Finally a pretty waitress came to collect the check, blatantly flirting with Naruto the whole time. It went completely over his head.

Negi stumbled and fell as he stood, causing his companions to let out a short laugh, one that didn't seem to stop as Naruto continued to chuckle. "Gyahhahhahaha."

"It wasn't that funny nii-san." Negi pouted.

"So-sorry," Naruto choked, still laughing.

Finally getting sick of it, Kotaro gave him a good hard smack on the back. "Calm down."

Slowly, Naruto stopped and calmed, a grin still on his face.

They left the restaurant to find a night sky waiting for them,

"What now?"

"I know a great Mage bar," Chamo instantly suggested.

"Bar?"

"Yeah! It'll serve anyone who knows about magic. It'll be fun. Great people, you'll learn a lot about magic. And they serve some great ramen."

"Alright," Naruto slowly nodded. They may have just eaten, but Naruto always saved room for ramen. The other two boys quickly agreed, and they set off.

At the door Negi had to flash his Magister permit, Kotaro his ears, and Naruto his Ninja headband which he had taken to carrying around with him everywhere, before they were ushered in by the bouncer, a large woman with green hair and sunglasses that hid her slitted green eyes.

It was quiet in the bar when they arrived, but that didn't last long as Chamo continued to order them drinks and their conversation (Kotaro loudly boasting about a job from two years ago, while Naruto and to a lesser degree Negi cheered him on) began to draw attention.

It started slowly at first, a couple of curious souls drifting over to listen in. Soon though, the club began to fill, and more and more people drifted over to listen.

When he was done with his tale, he sat back down to applause. Then Naruto took centre stage.

"It started with a War. I was not even 13 yet, and was already in the final round in my efforts to get promoted. There were hard battles to reach that point, but they are for another time. In the middle of a large scale tournament, a war broke out, and my friend was facing the enemy's secret weapon, forcing it to retreat. I and three others followed…" Naruto began to tell the story of his battle with Gaara, with embellishments of course.

Naruto may not have been the smartest person, but he sure knew how to tell a story.

His audience ooh'd and awe'd at the appropriate moments, breaking into loud applause (and cries of 'He's so cool' from the girls) when got to the part where he head butted Gaara and an stunned silence as he described his show of determination as he used his chin to crawl along the floor.

From there the night was a bit of a blur to Naruto. It wasn't until Negi snapped him out of it that he realized how much he had screwed up.

He had been sat down nearby chatting happily to two women, one a human and the other part cat, when Negi had stumbled up to him and wailed "Asuna-san won't like this at all." He seemed to be crying slightly.

It wasn't particularly the unintentional threat that woke him up; Naruto doubted Negi was even aware it was one. It wasn't even the fact that he was crying, though that helped immensely. It was the words and the image it brought to mind.

_"Hey, Ero-sennin, what would Baa-chan think?" a 13 year old blond scowled at Jiraiya, a woman on each arm and a drink in his hand._

Naruto looked to his left; a dark haired cat woman. He looked to his right; a brown haired human. Looking down, he found a drink on the table in front of him.

_'Oh shit, I'm acting like Ero-Sennin._' Naruto thought, paling.

He practically jumped over the table and out away from the two women, to their disappointment. He was suddenly very sober.

Grabbing Negi by the shoulders he comforted the boy until he stopped crying, before then dragging him over to where a commotion was forming.

He just knew Kotaro would be in the middle.

He was right. A ring had formed around Kotaro and a couple of western mages around 20 years old. Kotaro was stumbling around, unbalanced, while his two older opponents were steady. They didn't look like they had had a sip of alcohol, even as they taunted Kotaro.

The dog boy swung, but was way off the mark. The two moved in to punch and kick Kotaro, but Naruto interfered before that.

Naruto was not a Gen-Jutsu type. Illusions had always been his weak point. He did, however, have one illusion at his disposal. It didn't need hand seals, only chakra and intent. Well, a certain demonic chakra anyway.

He let the Kyuubi's energy fill him, glaring fiercely at the two older men as his eyes turned red. They fell to the ground, fainting in fear at the imaginary sight of a giant fox lunging at them with its jaws wide open, like it was about to eat them whole.

Well, maybe he was still a little tipsy to even dare pulling that off. It was always dangerous to use its physical abilities to transform as he didn't have true control over that.

"Whazzit? Tht waz mi fight!" Kotaro complained. It figured that the only word he could pronounce correctly was 'fight'.

"Never mind that, we're going," Naruto grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and began to take both boys away. Chamo could catch up later.

When they finally left they found it really was the dead of night now, around one or two in the morning, if the blond had to guess.

They shambled towards the trains before sighing as they discovered the last train had already left. Calling a cab, they made their way back that way.

Naruto paused as he stepped into the dark dorms. "Hey, guys?" Naruto whispered.

"Yeah," answered Negi, no longer as drunk as he was before; the buzz had worn off during the cab ride. The cabbie was just lucky no one had thrown up.

"Who should I drop off first?"

"Don't be stupid, we can make our own way baaaaaaack," yawned Kotaro.

"No, I meant Asuna or Chizuru first?"

Both boys paled, neither prospect particularly appeasing.

"Eva-chan's?" Naruto suggested.

"Master's it is." Negi agreed.

"You do know its going to be worse if we wait, right?" Naruto asked as both boys followed.

"Yeah, probably, but at least this way we'll have had a good nights sleep and won't smell of booze."

Naruto could only nod in agreement to that.

"Resort," Negi suggested.

"Resort," Naruto agreed.

As soon as they were in, they crashed onto the nearest bed and instantly fell asleep.

* * *

"Where is that brat?" Asuna raged.

"Asuna, I'm sure he's fine," Konoka sleepily replied. Seeing as it was her day off, Asuna hadn't woken up until much later in the day than usual, but when she did she realized Negi hadn't come home last night. She had woken Konoka to ask if she'd heard anything about it. "Naruto-sensei, Kota-kun and Chamo-san are with him."

"Like I'd be worried about that brat!"

"Ooh, will you two be a little bit quieter?" Chamo opened the draw he was asleep in, his bed made of panties. "I had a bit too much to drink last light."

"DRINK?" Asuna thundered. "You got drunk? What about those three idiots?"

Chamo suddenly realized just what he was facing; a murderous Asuna. "No, nothing happened, they didn't drink," he quickly lied.

They were having none of it. Grabbing the ermine around the middle, Asuna squeezed. "What. Happened. Last. Night."

"We went out, found out Naruto-nii was a millionaire, did normal guy stuff like arcade and movie then went to dinner and they accidentally served us alcohol. We were so drunk we went to a bar. Last time I saw Aniki was venting, Kotaro was starting a fight and Naruto-nii was with this hot blonde. I would have gone and gotten him a Pactio if I wasn't busy with my own female company," Chamo squeaked out in a rush. The grip loosened. "Next thing I know all three are gone and I'm on my own, I swear. I thought they'd come back here so I came home."

"Maybe they're at Kotaro's," Konoka suggested.

"And where does he live?"

"With Chizuru-nee-chan," Chamo told them.

Growling, Asuna stalked over to the room where Chizuru, Natsumi and Ayaka lived and knocked.

"Yes," Ayaka greeted politely, before noticing who it was. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?" she asked rudely.

"Is Negi in there? Or Kotaro-kun for that matter?"

"No, he went out yesterday and never came back. Chizuru-san is worried sick. Why, is there something wrong?"

"Negi didn't come home last night either. Those two as well as Naruto-sensei went out yesterday and didn't come back."

"You mean Negi-sensei is missing?" she screeched loud enough to get the whole floors attention.

"What!" Makie shouted, coming out of nowhere, followed by most of the class, all clamouring to know where their teacher was.

"Calm down everyone," Konoka's voice cut across the chaos with ease. "He's probably with Naruto-sensei, so there is no need to worry."

The class seemed to accept this, until, "Then why are you asking about him?" Yue asked.

"We just thought that they may have come here," the dark haired girl replied easily. "We'll go over there to pick him up now."

* * *

Chachamaru nodded in answer to Asuna's question. "Yes, Negi-sensei, Kotaro-san and Naruto-sensei are here. They returned at approximately 3:30 am, and made their way into the resort."

"Were they drunk?"

"I detected high levels of alcohol from all three, though from the interactions I observed they were well on their way to sober."

Asuna scowled. Right now it was her, Konoka, Yue, Nodoka and Setsuna, all of whom had come to find their errant teacher. Chamo had stayed behind to sleep off the night before.

"I'm going to kill them," Asuna growled as she made her way into the resort, the others following.

There she and the others encountered a series of explosions in the main courtyard.

"What is going on? I thought they were drunk?"

"It has been days from their point of view," Yue pointed out.

"OI!" Asuna made her presence known to the three boys as she marched towards them.

The three froze at the sound of her voice, their training/play time over. They scrambled to stand.

"Asuna-san…"

"…what are you doing here so early?"

"Early? What do you mean early?"

"Isn't it, like, 7:00am?" Kotaro asked.

"Yeah, we were going to leave at the end of the day."

"It's closer to 11:00 am," Setsuna sighed.

"Eh? But that means we've been here for…"

"Eight days?" Negi finished calculating faster than the others.

"Funny, it doesn't seem that long," Kotaro sighed.

"Time flies when you're having fun," Yue supplied.

"Why didn't you come home sooner?"

"We lost track of time-"

"No, I meant why didn't you come home last night?"

"Well, you see, interesting story," Naruto began as all three were suddenly very nervous. "You see, we were on our way home when this black cat crossed our path, so we had to go all the way around- Dammit Kakashi-sensei," he suddenly stopped.

"Don't bother lying, we already know you went to a bar and got drunk."

"How'd you know that?" Kotaro shouted, pointing an accusing finger.

"Chamo told us."

"Dammit Chamo, betrayer!"

"Don't blame Chamo for your own stupidity."

"Hey, hey, it was his idea. We just went along with it."

"Face your punishment like a man. Adeat." With a flash, in Asuna's hand there was her fan.

The three guys ran. They didn't get far.

* * *

Naruto unconsciously nursed the bruise forming on his cheek while Negi and Kotaro rubbed the bumps forming on the top of their heads. Asuna had been a bit rougher on him because he was older and so 1) could therefore take more punishment, and 2) he was the responsible one left in charge and it was his fault.

"Don't pout!" the pig-tailed red head snapped at him. "Do you know how stupid and irresponsible it was for you to-"

"I know, I know! I'm sorry, okay. I never intended to go to the bar, but Chamo convinced me. What I did was stupid and irresponsible, I know that and I'm sorry," Naruto earnestly apologised. "I even started acting like Ero-sennin; thank goodness Negi snapped me out of it when he did. Please, forgive me."

Stunned by his sincerity, Asuna's anger lost its fire. "Fine," she huffed.

After that, they spent their last day in the Resort playing, Setsuna and Asuna doing a little kendo training on the side while Yue and Nodoka read. Konoka spent her time watching the two swordswomen or practicing her own magic.

The three boys stood at the edge of the courtyard.

"J-Jump?"

"Yes Negi, jump. It's fun as well as training."

"How is it training?"

"Easy, you just have to slow down your fall or soften your landing otherwise you die," Naruto cheerfully explained.

"Hey, Aniki, didn't you just get scolded for being irresponsible?"

"This and that are two completely different things."

"How?"

"This is for training, and I have full faith in you both. That night I dragged you into something pointless, and we needlessly worried Asuna and Chizuru."

"Don't feel that way. We had fun, right Negi?"

"Yeah, we did," Negi nodded with a smile.

"Thanks," Naruto smiled back. "Now," he suddenly turned forceful, grabbing them by the hands, "prepare for a fall," he finished as he threw both into the air over the water, confident they'd be fine.

* * *

Omake 2

The Wife, part 1

"So, Minato, are you married?"

"No, but I may as well be," he answered with a chuckle. "My girlfriend is, was pregnant," he corrected. "She was in labour when I was called away, so I should be a father by now. I really do need to head back."

"Really, a dad? Boy or girl? Have you decided on a name yet?"

"It's going to be a boy and we decided to name him Naruto, after a character from the book my teacher wrote."

"Nice name."

"What about you, any children?"

"No, no, not yet; though I'd love one. Akira-chan isn't ready yet, but I think I can persuade her. I've already picked out a name for a boy: Negi."

Minato smiled. "Well, I wish you good luck with that."

"What's your girlfriend like then?" Nagi asked. "My wife's a bit on the cold side, but she's a powerhouse when she's angry. And boy can she fight."

"Kushina's a sight to be hold when she's angry too, though she's usually too busy being perverted."

"Perverted, my wife hates perverts."

"Kushina is one. The amount of times I caught her spying on me in the hot springs, or going on research trips with Jiraiya-sensei… It's unbelievable."

Nagi pouted. "Man, I'm jealous now. Arika-chan gets angry if I even just compliment her chest."

"Really? If I complimented Kushina's chest, she'd probably drag me into the bedroom before I could finish my sentence."

With that, the strongest of the Magical World, the man who is said to be Invincible broke down crying like a child. "Why can't Arika-chan be like that? Why?" he wailed.

Minato couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

* * *

A/N. This chap wrote itself very quickly. Maybe too quickly.

As I mentioned before, Naruto knows 5 wind and 2, now 3, Water Jutsu. As you may or may not have noticed, I renamed a couple thanks to Daughter of ether helping me translate.

A list of what he has shown so far:

**B - Fuuton: Kuudan **-_Wind Release: Air shot_: Ninjutsu technique. After forming the needed hand seals a strong gust of suppressed wind will be sent towards the target.

**C - Fuuton: Fuuka heki **– _Wind Release: Wind shield_: What I've decided to name the defensive Ninjutsu Naruto used in the Demon God Chapter.

**C - Fūton: Daitoppa** : _Wind Style: Great Breakthrough_- creates a forward wind force that can even blow away human enimies

**A or B - ****Fūton: Jūha Shō-: **_Wind Release: Beast Wave Palm__- _A powerful jutsu that uses large amounts of wind nature chakra that can cut and slash through any material. Long range

**B-Suiton: Suijinheki **-_Water Release: Water Encampment Wall _- This defensive jutsu creates a wall of water around the user. The wall can be formed from a pre-existing water source or by spitting a protective stream of water from the mouth

**C- Suiton: Mizurappa **- _Water Release: Violent Water Wave _- Water gushes out from the mouth like a waterfall and washes away the enemy. One can freely control the power of this technique with the amount chakra one releases.

He still has an unrevealed Water and Wind Jutsu, both of which I have already chosen. Both are canon, and while you may be able to guess the wind one, I doubt you'll get the water one.

Next is the start of the Festival arc.


	20. Countdown to the Festival

Sorry for taking so long to update, but then I lost over half the chapter, and then exam season started, and I didn't have time to write it all up. So hopefully this will make you feel better.

* * *

"Why are you even coming?" Eva asked, tugging on her uniform collar.

She, Naruto and Chachamaru were on their way to school. Eva was scowling up at Naruto as they walked, displeased with his presence, especially seeing as Chachazero had taken up her normal position. The puppet had been spending more time with Naruto than she had been spending with her Master, and had become way too fond of him for comfort.

Chachamaru wasn't fazed by him being there at all.

"Konoka asked me to. She said that I could help with the festival or something, and I thought why not?"

"And what about Chachazero, why did you feel the need to bring her?"

"What, you expected me to leave her alone? Shame on you Chibi-chan."

Eva's scowl deepened.

The walk to school was interesting to say the least.

The campus was even more packed than usual as a team of students was building a giant gate, as well as the hundreds of students that were running around in costumes.

Naruto couldn't help the look of awe that appeared on his face.

"This is normal before the festival," Eva dismissed. "A bunch of children trying to get a little extra money. Though, I admit every once in a while they'll come up with something new and mildly entertaining."

She was ignored by the blond in favour of running around to look at everything he could, from the food stalls opening up to the scantily clad girls.

"That costume is amazing, what are you supposed to be?" Naruto was asking one girl. She was around Naruto's age but was about three inches shorter than him. Her long dark hair was styled into a ponytail and she was wearing an elaborate demon costume. She had small horns on her head while the rest of her body was covered in form fitting black fabric. Her very tight shorts, almost panties, were red stylized flames, a colour and pattern which matched her top.

The addressed girl blushed at the attention, but found herself smiling. To her it was an opportunity. "Thank you, I'm a succubus," she half lied. "Hey, can you give me a hand with something?" she asked as she began to discreetly lead him somewhere more private.

"Sure thing, er…"

"Rin," she supplied. "Thank you very much Naruto-sensei."

"No problem," he smiled.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Eva ran up and demanded.

"Oh, I was just going to help this girl-"

He was cut off as Eva glared at the female teen and grabbed Naruto's arm, dragging him away.

"Hey little girl, I'm just borrowing your onii-chan for a bit," she attempted to give Eva a smile, one that was ignored as Eva stopped and turned her attention back to the black haired girl.

"Listen you floozy, I know exactly what you are trying to do, though he doesn't," she jerked her head to the confused Naruto. "Do you really think I'm going to let you even try it? Now, I suggest you be on your way."

"And why should I?"

"Because if you don't, I'll…" she whispered the last part in her ear, causing the girl to pale.

"Alright, alright, no need to go that far," Rin panicked before quickly heading off, offering one last smile and wave to Naruto as she went.

Naruto returned the wave before turning his attention to Eva. "What was that about?"

"Moron," was Eva's softly uttered response.

* * *

The classroom was boring. That was all that Naruto could think as he took a seat next to Eva. This may seem impossible in the infamous 3-A classroom, but it was true. This was probably because no one was there. The only occupants were Eva, Naruto, Chachamaru and Chachazero. Not even Sayo was present.

"Where's everyone else?"

"Not here yet, obviously."

"Isn't class starting soon?"

"Not for another thirty minutes, and boya has a bad habit of just barely showing up on time."

"You mean we came here thirty minutes early, for absolutely no reason at all?" This was a thought that repulsed Naruto, whose sensei had a chronic habit for lateness and his master who, if he even bothered showing up, would do it in his own time.

"You think I would participate in the rush?"

"Rush?"

"Every morning is the same thing. If we were to arrive any later, the inter-Mahora train system would be packed. Or perhaps you want to be crushed between a bunch of young school girls?"

"What! Of course not."

"Liar."

"I'm not lying."

"Sure you aren't. Don't forget, you…" Eva began, before snapping her jaw shut. "Do what you want," she frowned, before going to talk to Chachamaru. He placed Zero on the desk in front of him and noticed she was asleep. He sighed, before laying down his own head on the desk, his eyes closed as he thought up a few new pranks.

The time passed quickly as Naruto continuously discarded ideas as too simple, too mean, or too elaborate, and before he knew it most of the girls had already arrived.

He was brought out his planning by the sounds of rustling cloth and loud voices.

"Does this suit me?"

"Sure thing Iincho, it looks great! Can you help me with this?"

"Sure thing."

"Ah, Makie, give that back! It's cold."

Curious, Naruto raised his head and saw. There were five of them, no, seven, but his eyes had fully focused on the first lot. Ayaka was fully dressed in a maid outfit, while the other 4 were in various states of undress. Asakura, Madoka and Misa were only partly dressed, and Naruto found his eyes drawn to the exposed skin. And then there was Shiina, who was chasing after a grinning Makie while wearing only a bra and panties. Her maid outfit was in Makie's arms, while her uniform was being hidden by Fuuka, who was barely containing her laughter.

Both Kaede and his cooking Goddess Satsuki were dressed in waiter's uniforms.

Slowly, Naruto lowered his head back to the desk and hoped they didn't notice and beat him up. Though he was vaguely just beginning to barely grasp the concept that such a response was rare here, especially if it was an accident, he still had an irrational fear that it would happen.

There was more rustling as the four girls finally finished getting dressed, and then mere moments later there was a flurry of activity as one of the girls announced Negi's incoming arrival.

The door opened and there was Negi, mouth open in his surprise. "Welcome to the Merry Maids of 3-A, Master!" the girls enthusiastically greeted.

From there Naruto found himself watching as Negi was taken to a couch that had been set up near the front of the room and charged extravagant prices for drinks.

And then, just as he was about to intervene, he discovered one of the drawbacks, (or not) of being used to moving, and seeing, in high speeds. Instant cosplay no longer seemed so instant. Stunned, Naruto watched with crystal clarity as 12 girls were forcibly changed; to everyone else it was instantaneous, to him it may as well have been in slow motion. Kuu Fei, Chao and Hakase were dressed in outfits similar to Tenten's usual clothes, Yuna was now wearing a Maid costume with car ears, Makie was in older style clothes while Akira was in a bunny girl costume.

The other half dozen had it worse; Fumika was in a grade school gym outfit while her elder twin was in something that reminded him of Little Red Riding Hood. Mana, Misora and Ako were all wearing short and sexy versions of their outside activity outfits, i.e. a Miko, a nun and a nurse respectively. The person who was wearing the most embarrassing outfit though was Setsuna, who had been forced into a swimsuit, topped off with cat ears and tail.

Naruto blinked as his brain processed the sight he'd just witnessed, full with naked female flesh, and then blinked again as he took in the finished product.

"There's only so much a guy can take!" he called out, his face red in embarrassment.

"Yeah, I think we did take it too far," Yuna commented, Asakura nodding I agreement from beside her. Then "Wait! How long have you been there?" Yuna demanded.

"Erm, well…"

"He's been here since the beginning," Eva informed them with smirk.

"Has he now?" Haruna interjected. "So, what do you think? How are our outfits?" she began to bombard him with questions.

"Geez, how's he supposed to know? Come over here Naruto-sensei!" Misa called to him.

"Wha?" Naruto was gently but firmly grabbed by his arm and escorted over to the couch where Negi was sitting.

Pouring him a drink, Misa smiled pleasantly and Shiina was just about to move in to provide 'entertainment' when Negi began to speak.

"This is just like that bar you took me to, isn't it nii-san?"

The room went silent as it processed this new information.

"Negi, I thought we agreed not to talk about that?"

"Oops, sorry nii-san."

"You took Negi-sensei where!" Predictably Ayaka was the first to react, rushing over to the two boys.

"I'll get you for this," Naruto told Negi calmly as he back-flipped over the couch and made a break for the door, Ayaka hot on his heels.

The other girls reacted differently. "Is this really like a proper bar, sensei?" they asked happily.

"From what I remember," Negi hesitantly agreed.

"Yes! That's great."

"So, what improvements do you think we can make?"

"I'm not really sure. I don't think we should be doing this kind of Maid café anyway."

"Aww, but sensei," Makie protested.

"What sort of thing did you do in there anyway?"

"Ummm," Negi hesitated.

"_I'm a horrible teacher!" Negi cried to the man behind the bar, nursing a glass of something way too alcoholic for a ten year old boy. "Everywhere I go I seem to put my students in danger!"_

"_There, there," he tried to comfort the crying boy. "I'm sure you're a great teacher."_

"_I'm not!"_

"_Well, none of your kids have gotten hurt, have they?"_

"_No."_

"_Y'see; you've been protecting them, right?"_

"_Yeah," Negi weakly nodded. _

"_Kid, teaching's hard, even for regular humans. I can't even imagine the hardship's a Mage like yourself would face, especially the son of the Thousand Master. I'm sure you're doing a great job."_

"_Thank you." Negi whispered his gratitude, too low to be heard over the music, but the man nodded his head signalling he'd heard it anyway._

"Nothing special," Negi told them. It wasn't like he was going to tell them he'd spent most of the night crying to the bartender, the old man who had sat next to him or a group of cooing young women; he had his pride after all.

Thankfully he was saved from answering anymore questions by the arrival of Takamichi.

"Hello Negi, girls" he greeted, scanning the classroom. "Have you seen Naruto-kun?"

"Iincho chased him out the room," Asakura informed him.

"I see. Please tell him I waned to talk to him," Takamichi asked. He waved goodbye to the girls as he turned on his heel and found himself face to face with the boy in question.

It wasn't just him though. Ayaka was being carried in his arms, bridal style. She seemed barely conscious. Naruto on the other hand was shirtless, and Takamichi had the vague feeling he didn't want to know why. For some reason Naruto also had bandages wrapped around his abdomen, causing him to raise an eyebrow in surprise and curiosity when he noticed.

"What did you do to her?" Asuna immediately thundered, before glancing at Takamichi nervously. "I-I mean, what happened, is she alright?"

Naruto eyed her nervously as Negi fretted over Ayaka. Takamichi was similarly eyeing him up as if to wait for an explanation.

_Naruto sped through the corridors trying to shake his relentless pursuer, but she continued to keep up with him. Heart beating wildly as all those memories of angry women assaulted him, he ran that just a little bit faster. _

_As he turned around a corner, Ayaka lost sight of him. Not that it mattered; she would catch him and question him until she knew the truth of the matter. _

_She skidded to a halt though as she came across Negi. He was giving her a cute little smile as he ran up to her and jumped into her arms, hugging her tightly._

_Stunned, she returned the hug. Then the red-headed boy leaned back and looked up into her eyes. _

"_N-Negi-sensei," she stuttered._

"_I love you, Onee-chan!" he interrupted, suddenly jumping up and kissing her forehead._

_As soon as she felt those lips meet her skin, she was in blissful unconsciousness. _

_Negi frowned as he caught her in his arms and with a pop where Negi once stood was Naruto, his shirt soaked in blood. She'd had a rather impressive nosebleed all over him._

_Looking down on himself, he arranged the blond woman to be leaning against him as he stripped off the bloodied clothing. Carefully he wiped the blood off her face and picked her up. Luckily, no blood had gotten onto her uniform._

"_Geez you damn pervert, let's get you back to class."_

"You don't want to know. I didn't hurt her or anything like that though," Naruto answered.

"Hmm, kissed," Ayaka mumbled happily.

"She's obviously delusional," Naruto quickly cut in when their eyes had snapped to him.

"Well, if you say so," Takamichi said, signalling his belief with an amused smile. "Now, I wanted to talk to you anyway."

"What about?" Naruto asked, handing Ayaka to an unwilling Asuna.

"Your and Negi's project and the… item that you delivered the other day. Fukasaku-sama took it and asked me to tell you that he'll need samples before he get's started."

"Yeah, I'll go see him in a bit." Naruto knew what samples they would be wanting too; a blood sample and a chakra sample. Though he did find it weird how they got hold of the choker. He didn't remember giving it to them.

"Apparently it will take around two weeks to make the necessary… additions."

"He'll finish it just before the festival then? That's good."

"You do understand that this will be your and Negi's responsibility, don't you?"

"Of course we do," Negi spoke up. "You don't think that what we are doing is wrong, do you?" It was obvious that his opinion on the matter was important to Negi.

Takamichi went silent for a few minutes as he thought it over. "No, I don't," he finally answered. "I trust you two, and if you think that sh- you should do this, I'll support your choice."

"Thank you."

"Thanks."

"Oh, and before I forget, yours and Kotaro-kun's books were also delivered to the office. Besides, I think it's time for homeroom to end anyway."

Negi just nodded, happy to get the man's approval.

"What project?" Asuna asked when the older man was gone. She was sure this wasn't the first time that she heard of this mysterious project, and it was getting really annoying.

"You'll see!" the two of them grinned at her, still keeping their secret.

* * *

The next day found Naruto running late as he made his way to school. Chachamaru had foolishly allowed him five more minutes, 6 times. In the end she and Eva had had to leave without him.

So now he was on his way to school in a slight rush. Zero had been left at the cottage today; she said she was going to meet up with Chamo later, and after quickly summoning Gamayan when she had asked, he was gone.

Yesterday, almost immediately after he'd left homeroom, he had gone to see the toads to deliver samples and had later found Zero and Gamayan talking about weapons. Naruto was quite happy that Zero and Gamayan were getting along as well as they did, and so had no problem summoning her for the day.

Suddenly Naruto was sent flying through the air as someone crashed into him. Both were sent tumbling to the ground, the contents of the girl's bag scattering all around them.

Slightly shaken, Naruto was nonetheless the first to recover. Glancing down at the girl who was now lying on top of him, he recognised her immediately.

"Eh? Setsuna? Are you alright?"

"Ah, yes," she responded as they stood. "I apologize for running into to you," she bowed low. "In my haste to get to class on time I wasn't paying enough attention to my surroundings."

"No harm done," he waved it off. "Why are you running late anyway?" he asked as he began to help her pick up her belongings.

"I needed to collect something," she told him before noticing what he was doing. "N-N-No need for you to help me," she stuttered nervously, grabbing everything Naruto had already picked up and stuffing it quickly into her bag. She then began to grab all her other scattered items at an accelerated pace.

"I want to help you," he told her, picking up some more of her books. Then something caught his eye. It was a yellow book, one that he recognised on sight. Picking it up, he said to her, "I didn't expect you to be reading this."

Her attention snapped to him and she flushed scarlet when she noticed what he was holding.

"That's not mine!"

"Then whose is it? Asuna's? Konoka's? Negi's?" he listed those who he knew she spent the most amount of time with.

"N-No, it's… erm… Saotome-san's."

"Haruna's? Alright, I can accept that," he told her, picturing Haruna in his mind. "Then the question is; why do you have it?"

"Safe keeping."

"Denied. You hang out with Asuna."

"Umm, err, it's… it's mine," she finally quietly admitted. "But I'm not like that! I was only curious, and Ojou-sama reads the other books, and…" Setsuna began to babble.

Naruto raised his hand to stop the torrent. "Listen, its fine to like this kind of thing, you don't have to make excuses." He handed the book back to her.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"S-so it's fine for a girl to k-k-kiss another girl?"

"Yeah, it is," he told her. "C'mon, let's get you to class." He said to her.

"Please, don't tell anyone," she asked as they ran.

"Don't worry, the fact that you read Icha Icha Yuri is a secret I'll take to my grave."

"Don't say it out loud!" she frantically searched the area for other people, but they were alone.

"Sorry, sorry," Naruto laughed.

"To the grave," she affirmed.

"To my grave," he repeated, which seemed to relax her. "Of course, my grave _is_ just over there," he mused aloud, gesturing to the World Tree.

"Sensei!" she protested, and Naruto now noticed she was more angry than flustered and her hand seemed to be twitching towards her sword. That reminded him.

"Oh yeah, how's Asuna's training going?"

"Asuna-san's?"

"Yeah, weren't you training her in swordsmanship," Naruto prompted. They were in sight of the school now.

"Yes, that's right. Her training is going very well. Her speed and power are simply astounding, though her technique still has much to be desired."

"Oh well, I'm sure she'll improve. What about you; how's your training going?"

"Well enough, though I wish I could do better."

"Well, why don't you come train with me? Or better yet, you could join me, Mana-chan and Kaede-chan's training."

"You train with Nagase-san and Tatsumiya-san?"

"Well, I'm going to be, yeah. We haven't started yet though. Now that I think about it, Ku Fei could join us too."

Setsuna considered this. Naruto was very strong, and the three girls he mentioned were no slouches either. All four used different battle styles and it would be a great opportunity to practice her swordsmanship skills. Finally, she nodded her head.

"Great! We'll start after festival, shall we?"

"That is fine."

They were just outside the classroom now, and Naruto opened the door to enter, saying, "If Kuu Fei agrees we may just get a five-way going."

Setsuna flushed as she walked into the room after him, acutely aware of the possible, but false implication, the other girls staring at them as they entered. Kuu Fei was blushing at the proclamation that she would be invited as well.

Naruto himself didn't notice the looks he was receiving though, too distracted by the glare that could melt stone and freeze the ocean. Said glare came from the boy who stood in his usual suit as he stood in front of his class.

"Ah, I'd forgotten about that," Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Forgotten?" Negi said in an icy whisper.

Turning her attention away for her peer, Setsuna turned to her teacher at the sound of his obvious anger. She gawked at the sight of him. His normally red and black hair was dyed a uniform blond, a shade which matched Naruto's.

"Why would you do this to me?"

"Well, it's, er… punishment. Yeah, punishment! You have to learn to keep secrets, and the best way get you to learn is by punishing you every time someone finds them out. Obviously if you purposely tell them it would be a different story, but when you let things slip like you did you need to be punished."

Negi seemed to consider this for a moment before finally nodding in agreement.

Naruto held in a sigh of relief.

"Did you really have to make it permanent?" Negi asked, defeated. "When I tried to wash it out it didn't even run."

"Don't worry, I just used one of my special dyes," Naruto told him, walking up to him. Leaning down, he patted Negi on the head, ruffling the boy's hair in the process, simultaneously releasing a little charka from his hand. "It should come off fine now," he whispered.

"Smile!"

Naruto turned at the voice, already smiling form his prank, and with a flash and a click their photo had been taken.

"What a great photo!" Asakura smiled.

"Asakura-san," Negi whined.

Still smiling, Naruto said, "Perfect. I expect to receive a copy."

"Sure thing sensei."

Faced with Naruto-nii and Asakura's pleading stares, Negi relented.

"Alright, it's fine. Now please take your seats," he gesture to Setsuna and Asakura. Once the two of them were seated, and Naruto had taken a position leaning on the wall by the window, Negi began. "Now, we still need to decide what to do for the festival. Do any of you have any suggestions?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" Yuna began, oddly serious.

"What could be better than a Maid café?"

"All girl mud wrestling café!" Makie cheered.

"Excellent!" Haruna and Yuna yelled out, to the despair and disagreement of their classmates.

"Cat-eared nude bar!" Fuuka called out, to similar results.

"Why not just do a bottomless 'no panties' café then," Chizuru calmly suggested, almost sighing.

"PERFECT!"

"No it's not!" Asuna, who had been in that state far too many times, was the most vocal dissenter.

As the argument continued to devolve, many of the girls seemingly trying to top their classmates in sheer perverseness while the rest tried to stop them, three people were already overwhelmed.

Fumika, Negi and Nodoka stood in a line, seeking comfort from their confusion.

"'All girl', they say; 'no panties' they say; I know it means something, but I don't know what!"

"What are they going to make us do?"

"Don't worry about that," Naruto told them, gathering the three into his arms. "I'll protect you and your innocence for as long as I can!"

"Hmm, you make it sound like you have experience with these kind of things," Mana pointed out.

Releasing his grip on the three, Naruto shivered as he turned to face the gunslinger. "The old perv used to take me to places like that all the time. My innocence was shattered! Cruelly and mercilessly shattered!"

"I doubt that, considering how flustered you can get," Mana muttered.

"Eh? What was that?" Naruto asked.

Unfortunately distracted by his own curiosity, he didn't notice the girls turn on Negi, and begin to strip him, cheering. When he did notice, he began to move in to help him when someone grabbed him from behind.

It was Kaede. "Shall we strip Naruto-sensei as well," she suggested with a teasing grin. Turning their attention to Naruto, who froze at the stares, the girls grinned.

"Go for it! He has such a nice body it would be a shame not to show it off!" Asakura egged them on.

Yuna gave her curious look. "How would you know?"

"It just so happens I caught a naked picture or two," she drawled. "Would you like to see?"

The girls were already nodding in unison, some of them even drooling as Asakura began to grab a photo that she seemed to keep in her bra.

"Don't you dare Kazumi!" Naruto yelled, annoyed that she would so easily show off that picture when she said she wouldn't.

The reaction was immediate, as said red haired reporter jerked in shock. "Don't call me by my first name! N-n-nobody calls me by my first name," she stammered, blushing. The photo seemed forgotten for now.

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Why not? It's a wonderful name. It means harmonious beauty, right? It really suits you." Having said that, Naruto gave her one of his most honest smiles.

The poor girl was slightly overwhelmed, and so Naruto barrelled on without waiting for a response. "I think I'll call you that from now on, especially if I'd be the only one who does so" he told her, nodding his head, his eyes closed into slits, meaning he couldn't see her becoming more and more flustered. "It wouldn't be right for me to call everyone but you by their first name; I wouldn't want you to feel left out or think I don't want to get close to you. You don't mind, do you?"

As Naruto continued to spout these words full of innocent thoughts, the rest of the class looked on in wonderment. Kaede had long since loosened her hold on Naruto allowing him to slip free. The same can be said of Negi, who, when his molesters had been distracted by Naruto, disentangled himself from their clutches and quickly sorted his clothes out, stepping away from the girls who had been stripping him.

The first to break the silence wasn't either boy, or even Asakura; it was a girl Naruto had barely interacted with at all.

"What's with this sudden confession like atmosphere!" a girl who was girl glasses and had red hair called out. It was Chisame.

Naruto gave her one look over before turning to Negi, not sure what she was implying and so dismissing it. "Geez Negi, why are all the girls in your class so attractive?"

Every girl in the room blushed, most especially Chisame who had been the one to spark this comment.

"They are, aren't they?" Negi responded, almost sounding proud. "They're all so varied, but still cute. It's really amazing."

"Don't be silly Negi; every girl is cute in their own unique way, even if it's not readily obvious. Take Chisame for example. I can tell just by looking at her that when she smiles, she'd look stunning."

Negi nodded like he was learning an important lesson.

"The same for Asuna; once you get past that tough exterior and get her to smile, she's almost criminally good looking." Naruto continued.

Asuna gaped at the unexpected compliment.

Negi took a moment to think, thoroughly enjoying the conversation. "What about Konoka-san?"

"That long dark hair, pretty face and happy personality, plus a lot more besides. Ayaka?" Naruto fired back.

"I would say she is a regal beauty," he half told, half asked. When Naruto nodded in agreement, Negi fired back. "What do you think would make Master cute?"

"Chibi-chan's always cute," Naruto replied easily. "Nodoka?"

"She's really cute when she blushes," Negi shyly replied, very conscious of the fact that she had confessed to him, yet not of the fact that she was in the room.

"Isn't that almost all the time?"

"I suppose," Negi chuckled. "She also loves books and is a very friendly person. Chizuru-san, Nagase-san and Tatsumiya-san?" Negi let loose rapid fire.

"Ha, all three have great proportions; Chizuru is very kind and gentle, the perfect mother figure –didn't you say she worked part time at a pre-school? - that's amazing, especially for someone family orientated; Kaede has that relaxed attitude that's very calming, but doesn't stray into laziness; Mana may seem a little cold, but that just makes her more alluring- I know I want to get to know her better. Makie and Satomi?"

"Makie-san is very cheerful and stylish, while Hakase-san, hmm," here he paused in thought for a moment, having not spent as much time with her as many of his other students. "She's very intelligent, and her dedication is very admirable. Master Kuu?"

"Lithe, strong and exotic, very dedicated to her art; all pluses in my book. Willing to help out friends as well; she's an all round amazing person. Yue?"

"Yue-san may be a little… cold? No, expressionless, but I can tell that she is a very kind and intelligent person. The cheerleading trio?"

"All three have great style, plus they helped me pick out my clothes; that shows just how kind they are. Shiina's cheerful and honest; Misa is both cheerful and mature, while Madoka is level headed. Plus, she has that lovely voice. Yuna?"

"She's always smiling and putting forth ideas, though they can be a little…" he trailed off. "Setsuna-san?"

"Smart, polite, dedicated to protect her Ojou-sama, what's not to like. Plus," Naruto grinned evilly, "I get the feeling she's really fun to tease."

"Naruto-sensei!" Setsuna finally snapped both boys out of their conversation as she called out in horror, blushing madly. In fact, all of the girls were red faced, their mouths working but no sound was coming out.

"Oh, sorry, we forgot you were there," both boys apologized. When silence greeted them, Naruto asked "Did we say something wrong?"

Almost mechanically, Asuna nodded her head.

"Huh, but we were just telling the truth. What did we say that was so wrong?" Negi asked, Naruto nodding in agreement.

As the class as a whole blushed even more, Chisame's voice was the only thing to be heard as she muttered to herself. If it wasn't for the unnatural silence, she wouldn't have been heard. "It's like their play boy attitude is feeding off each other and growing as it bounces back and forth. What's worse, they don't even realize it themselves so you can't really get angry at them because they're so innocent…." The murmurings continued, though they got too quiet to hear.

Glancing at his watch, Negi noticed the time it had gotten to. "Alright everyone, we have time for one last suggestion before home room ends."

After a full minute of silence, Negi was about to dismiss the girls when a lone hand reached up.

"Ah, Sakurako-san, yes?"

"Erm, why don't we do an auction," she began hesitantly, though her voice regained its confidence and cheer as she continued on. "I was thinking that we could each put something in the auction, and then for the big finish, we could put a day with Negi-sensei and/or Naruto-sensei where they had to do anything you asked as the prize!"

"Perfect!" Asakura began, before she was cut off.

"Denied!" Negi and Naruto yelled out in perfect harmony. "We can't do that," Negi continued. "Please try to think of something better for next time," Negi said with a frown. "Okay then, class dismissed."

As simple as that, both Negi and Naruto left the room, most of the girls still stunned at their teacher's discussion, while those who had snapped out of it talked amongst themselves.

Though there were one or two who were silent, plotting something good.

* * *

Naruto jumped as Eva swiped at his legs with a sword, but before he could counter attack, Eva was already laying into him with everything she had, and soon he was desperate just to survive. Quickly backing off, he watched carefully for any slip up in her guard that he could capitalize on. Her defence was flawless as she waited, poised to strike.

Chachazero was cheering the battle on. "GO Mas- Naruto-sama! Make her bleed!" the puppet yelled her encouragement.

The truth was, he hadn't even managed to land a single hit, let alone one strong enough to make the powerful and skilful Evangeline bleed; even though the arena was splattered with blood, all of it was his. Every blow she had managed to connect with was powerful enough to throw the red liquid everywhere.

Finally Naruto's patience broke and he charged, hoping to jump up and come down on her hard. He didn't even get the chance to lift off before a powerful blow had sent him reeling backwards. Defenceless, he could do nothing but watch as Eva span and severed his head from his shoulders with her sword, causing fountains of blood to erupt.

Naruto threw down the controller in frustration as his video game character fell and the screen flashed up Eva's victory.

"How do you like that, weakling?" Eva stood up and over him while Naruto stayed seated. "You're a hundred years to early to challenge me, the Undying Mage. I will destroy you time and time again until you learn your proper place, licking my feet and worshipping me. You…"

Eva continued to gloat over her eleventh victory of the day, as Zero tried to comfort the blond.

Today was the day 3-A had finally, and peacefully, decided to do a haunted house for the school festival, at Negi's suggestion. The rest of homeroom had been spent sorting out people's jobs both in preparation, and in the actual performance.

First they needed to collect materials, which Negi, Setsuna, Asuna and Ayaka were responsible for, leaving the majority of the class with nothing to do for the day. It wasn't until the next day when the preparation would go into full swing.

That left Naruto and Eva together while Chachamaru worked on household chores, a Naruto clone assisting her at the blond boy's insistence.

At some point Eva had suggested a video game, with Zero wanting this particular one. It wasn't until part way through his first match when he realized why. This had to be the bloodiest video game of all time. (Third, but Naruto didn't know that.) He quickly learned the controls, but Eva had much more experience playing, and so thrashed him time and time again, each time going into a speech about how much better she was than him.

She had been doing that a lot lately whenever she one upped him at something, and it was beginning to get on his nerves. Naruto didn't gloat whenever he won, at least not much. What was worse was that she tended to go into to tangents as well, going from gloating, to insulting, to plain out loud planning of possible uses for him, most of them rather unpleasant.

Suddenly a thought entered into his head, and Naruto grinned. So caught up in her speech, Eva failed to notice.

"…you shall always be at my mercy, and you should be thankful I don't suck you dry-"

"Are you ticklish?" Naruto interrupted.

Instantly Eva stilled and went silent, eyeing the boy warily. That was all the answer Naruto needed, his grin widening even further.

Standing, Eva took a step back. "You wouldn't dare," she challenged.

"Chibi-chan, we've known each other for how long? What do you think?" he asked, taking a step forward.

"You would!" Eva's eyes widened as she took two steps back, right into Naruto's waiting clone, which quickly grabbed the girl's arms and brought her hands up above her head and unable to defend herself.

The real Naruto's fingers quickly went to work, playing along the vampires unprotected sides. She resisted at first, steadfastly refusing to make a noise as she futilely kicked her legs in an attempt to drive him off. His grin stretching even wider, Naruto took a moment to form a quick hand seal, summoning two more clones. Each one grabbed a kicking leg and got to work on her feet as well as the original Naruto got back to work.

Finally, she cracked, and her delightful laughter broke through. Naruto kept up his assault until Eva was too tired to resist, her 10 year old body finally giving out.

As she lay there trying to regain her breath, sweaty from exertion, she vowed that Naruto would pay for this.

On the other hand, Naruto cackled madly, curled up and clutching his stomach as he was laughing so hard it hurt.

Finally though, his laughter died down and Eva recovered sufficiently to glare at him.

Still smiling, Naruto shrugged at her. "You shouldn't gloat so much," he told her simply.

"Sore loser," she seethed, kicking him in the shins as hard as she could, once, twice, three times. She would have frozen him solid if they were in the resort, but they were only in her living room, so she was unable to use her ice magic.

Clutching the bruised appendage, Naruto's smile never slipped. "C'mon, don't be that way. Another game," he suggested.

Nodding, they resumed their play. Both failed to notice the glare that Chachazero sent their way. Over the course of the night, they played at least half a dozen games, and each time Eva won. Whenever she tried to gloat though, Naruto quickly tickle attacked her out of it, though not for nearly as long as the first time. As long as she didn't gloat, Naruto didn't do anything but sigh in defeat.

At first the wins were easy, but eventually Naruto's skills increased to the point of a challenge, though not a very good one.

Finally though, the games drew to a close as Eva prepared for bed. "Remember to give me those scrolls tomorrow," she firmly reminded him at the foot of the stairs, pulling her sleeves closer to her wrists.

She had shown an interest in Chakra, and Naruto had no problems lending her his scrolls on the matter, few as they were.

"Will do," he assured. She was already halfway up the stairs when Naruto's voice chimed in once again. "You should laugh more," he told her.

"And why is that?" she asked, slightly startled.

He gave her small smile. "Because your laughter is beautiful."

Eva tried to splutter a response, but Naruto continued on. "I don't mean that cackling you're prone to either, I mean your real laugh. It's the kind of thing I want to hear more often." Grabbing Zero, he made his way into his own room. "Good night Eva-chan."

With that he closed the door. "Good night, Naruto," Eva finally said, heading to her own bed.

As Naruto got changed, Zero asked him shyly, "Is my laugh beautiful?"

Naruto gave her a smile. Patting her on the head, he honestly answered her. "All happy laughs are, even yours."

"Thank you."

"Night," he said to her, holding her like a teddy bear as he went to bed.

Zero may not have been happy before when she was watching the two blonds play, but right now, next to her Master, she was content.

* * *

Sayo was happy. For the first time in a long time, she had visitors at night. She usually had to go searching for people at night, and whenever she spent time with Naruto, it was outside, simply wandering, or depending on the mood, pranking. She had been there and watched as Naruto had snuck into the girls dorms, into Asuna's bed where Negi was sleeping, and proceeded to dye his hair without colouring anything else, waking anyone up, or even making a sound.

She had been in awe and fighting back a giggling fit the entire time.

Now her classmates were working on a project in the night. Unfortunately, neither Negi nor Naruto was there, both of them busy tonight. Still, emboldened by her success in friend making, she decided to try her luck for a third or more.

Concentrating, she forced her self visible with all her might. That was when one girl promptly pointed at her still forming body and screamed. The rest of the girls were running as fast as humanly possible.

* * *

The next morning, both Negi and Naruto had been called into the Headmasters office as soon as they arrived. They hadn't even had a chance to talk to the girls on the way to classes when Shizuna-sensei had come to collect them for an important meeting.

In truth, Naruto was excited. This could be a super cool mission, and while he was having fun at Mahora, he still found it stifling on occasion and there was nothing like a mission, a purpose, to cheer him up.

Negi was less enthusiastic. While he didn't mind doing a job for the headmaster, he was worried that his students would get involved somehow, and they would be put in danger because of him. Like they always did.

So while Naruto was a bundle of energy, Negi was a bundle of nerves.

"Hohoho, I have something I need to talk to the both of you about." The old man paused for a moment; Naruto's expectations rose. "It's about the auction you two will be participating in. I wanted to ask you what day you would be available for the –hoho – date."

"Auction? We never agreed to this."

"D-d-d-date?"

"Ohohoho yes. I was rather surprised that you signed up for this; it isn't unheard of, but it usually ends up blowing up in peoples faces."

"I-I don't understand?"

"Only those with great confidence or arrogance volunteer to be sold for a day long date. Sensing this, the crowd rejects them and refuses to buy them. With you two though, I get the feeling it will go well."

"Negi didn't mean that part! He meant why the hell are we the prizes in some auction?"

"What are you talking about? I have both of your signatures agreeing to this."

That was when it hit Negi. "The girls must have done this. They must have gone behind our backs when we said no and signed us up anyway. I'm sorry sir, but I didn't agree to this, and I doubt Naruto-nii did either."

Naruto nodded his head in agreement.

"Be that as it may, I can't allow you two to back out now. Rumours of your involvement were leaked over the campus intranet, and seeing your names on the sign up sheet, I saw no need to keep it quiet and confirmed your participation. Interest skyrocketed; the auction hasn't been this popular in almost fifteen years. So please, I know this may be a burden on the both of you, but I hope you will participate."

Negi and Naruto both tried to protest, but both sensed it was less of a request and more of an order.

"Alright, I'll do it."

"Fine, I'm in too."

"Excellent. Now, I have something to discuss with Naruto-kun, and I believe you have a class to teach and a haunted house to organise. I'll be looking forward to it, Negi-kun."

"Yes sir, I won't let you down!"

With that Negi left the headmaster and the blond alone, returning to class 3-A.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked as soon as the door closed.

"Hoho, I thought you'd be happier, after all, I have a mission for you."

"I have to auction- Wait, mission?"

"Yes indeed."

"What kind of mission?"

"A delivery job; I want you to take this envelope, and this letter to a man named Nick Simmons. He's a foreign mage who specializes in the retrieval of rare magical texts."

"Is that it?" Naruto asked, grabbing the offered envelopes.

"Hohoho, not quite. In the first envelope is several thousand yen, and in the letter is information on the location of a rare book of ancient water spells. There are only two copies known to exist."

"So what are you paying him for?"

"He has in his possession a one of a kind book containing spells of the highest calibre, one for each of the major schools of magic, as well as spells on the creation of barriers and seals. Both as a collector, and a mage, I am very interested in these spells, especially as you are well on your way to freeing McDowell-san. This information could help me figure out a way of manipulating the defensive barrier around the school in order to increase safety. We have become too lax with the Undying Mage as our protector."

"Eva-chan protects this place?"

"She contributes. Hohoho, there have been quite a number of times when she noticed something troublesome we might have missed. She is also a well of information when to comes to what has crossed the barrier. She seems able to tell what it is as soon as it crosses; plus, she can identify a much greater variety of species than I can."

"I never really thought about it, but Eva-chan really is smart, huh?"

"Indeed. It's the culmination of 700 years of experience, after all."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Naruto gave a small smile. "So where can I find this Nick person?" Naruto asked, getting back to business.

"He is staying in a hotel in Tokyo," Konoe explained, handing him a slip of paper with the address written on it and a picture of a man with dark red hair and green eyes. He had a square face, stubble on his jaw and a frown that suited him so well Naruto wouldn't be surprised if he always wore that expression.

"Alright, I'll be off then."

"Oh, and don't worry about a written report, an oral one will suffice," Konoe told him with a small smile and a wave of his hand like he was dismissing a bad memory.

"Sure thing," Naruto grinned back.

"Good luck. I'm counting on you."

"Don't worry, I won't let you down."

With that, Naruto gave one last smile, offering an extra thumbs up before jumping out the window behind the headmaster's desk.

"Hohohoho," Konoe chuckled. "They've even started to copy each other; but is it Naruto-kun who copied Negi-kun, or Negi-kun who has been influenced by Naruto-kun?"

He shook his head one last time, before suddenly something occurred to him. "I forgot to tell him about the rival Mage, didn't I? Hoho, I wonder if he'll be alright."

* * *

Jumping from roof top to roof top, Naruto grinned. It was good to be out and about on a mission – with a purpose other than just standby.

As he made his way through the strangely quiet streets, he couldn't help but ponder. He loved Mahora, he really did. It was lively, exciting, and all his new friends were there. But he still had that hint of boredom that Mahora wasn't satisfying.

No one, with the exception of Eva who couldn't use her powers, and possibly the Headmaster, was as strong as him and so unless he stacked the odds against himself as he did with Kaede and Mana, all possible bouts were pathetically easy.

A lot of the time he was simply existing; true, he was teaching Negi and continuing his own training, but he didn't seem to _actually_ be doing anything. He couldn't train Negi because his grasp of magic was taught to him _by_ Negi, and he didn't have any spells, tactics or advice for fighting Mage's. That was all coming from Eva.

The most he was doing was instilling in Negi his own beliefs and experiences. An important task to be sure, but a slow going one. He couldn't just take the boy aside and tell him these things. He had to wait for the moment it had the most impact or importance, otherwise Negi might reject them. He also had to try and let him figure things out on his own; it was the only way to learn sometimes.

Naruto sighed; he had a fresh wave of sympathy for Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya and to a lesser extent Yamato.

Kotaro was similar. Chi wasn't something that Naruto could grasp very well, though he understood it slightly better than magic. Still, he couldn't teach techniques or anything of the sort. It was the same as with Negi that he could teach only general tactics with no specifics. Naruto was resolved to instil in Kotaro the same lessons he was showing Negi, and to help the both of them improve through experience, but that was all he could do.

It was the same with the girls of class 3-A. He was close to some but not all of them, and he didn't seem to be doing anything after the trip. He couldn't teach them like Negi, any classes he had to fill in for could have been taken by another teacher just as easily, and it wasn't like something was threatening them either.

He was just there in case of an emergency; someone to lend a hand that probably wouldn't be needed, especially as there were other Mage teachers around the school too. He felt as though he was an unnecessary addition.

At least when he was in Konoha, he went on missions and jobs fairly regularly, making a visible difference. In Mahora he was stationary, slowly and subtly affecting his surroundings.

True, he was happy at Mahora with his new friends, but he wasn't content. He needed more.

_*Boom*_

Further musings were cut off as a torrent of water obliterated the roof he was about to land on.

In mid air there was nothing much he could do as he landed awkwardly in the rubble. Quickly, Naruto searched his surrounding to find his attacker. It was only now that he truly took note of how quiet it was. It may have been a week day, but people should still be milling about; instead it was lifeless, only one person in sight.

She was standing on the roof of a nearby and intact building, looking down on him. She had short black hair that didn't even reach her shoulders, a small body and lithe body with little curves, but was obviously an adult. She was wearing a one piece dark green swimming suit and close fitting grey leg and arm warmers. It was hard to tell at this distance, but they appeared to have scales as well. Around her neck hung a breathing apparatus and on her forehead were a pair of goggles. In her hand was a wand shaped like a tridents of all things. All in all, she wasn't trying to hide the fact she was a water Mage in the least.

"Hand over the book," she demanded, her voice oddly high pitched. It made the otherwise forceful demand almost a squeak.

"What book?" Naruto questioned, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders. He hadn't been expecting a fight, but he'd swung by Eva's to put on some more durable clothes out of habit.

"The water magic spell book, obviously," she told him, pointing her wand at his chest. "Hand it over and I won't hurt you."

"Sorry, I don't have anything like that. Now, if you'll excuse me," he told her plainly, waving to her as he began to walk away.

"Fine, have it your way," she hissed, before beginning to mutter under her breath.

Naruto rolled his eyes as he prepared to dodge.

She surprised him though when suddenly she appeared before him and fired off seven globs of water.

Twisting through the air, he managed to dodge them all, only to be blindsided by a skinny old man who punched him in the face.

Off balance, he had no chance of blocking the follow up kick that sent him flying through the air and into the side of another building. It cracked due to the force.

His two attackers let up for a moment, allowing Naruto to get a good look at the new comer. He had gray hair, was clean shaven and was almost stick thin. He was wearing a black robe.

Naruto could see that the lips of woman were moving again, and as she raised her wand, he dived to the left.

Moments later a thick gooey substance shot forth and splattered on the wall. It seemed she was trying to capture him alive.

Naruto didn't have time to think though; as soon as he'd dodged, the black robed man had charged.

Ducking the first punch, Naruto caught the second and used it to pull the old man closer as he jumped into the air and kicked him in the face. Naruto back-flipped away as he the gray haired man landed hard, but still conscious.

"Now seriously, listen, I don't have the book you're looking for."

"Don't lie. We know you come from Mahora Academy, and that you are making a trade; the _Biblio Pluvia_ for a text on ancient magic. Mahora is the only known location of that book, and considering the direction you are headed in…" the dark haired woman left the sentence unfinished, the implication clear.

"I'm not lying. I don't have either of the books you are looking for."

"We don't believe you."

With that simple statement, the old man once again attacked.

'_Damn it!_'

Naruto just barely managed to dodge the initial punch, and returned it with his own. He was about to deliver another blow when a sudden stream of water attacked from the side, forcing him to back away. This was followed by eight more similar streams, attacking from above, below, and both sides, forcing him continually back as they stretched. The old man hadn't let up either, and was chasing him, weaving between the snake-like water tendrils with ease.

Despite this, neither managed to land a blow on the blond that wasn't either blocked or otherwise weakened.

Soon enough, the water tendrils fell, the limit of their range reached.

In those few brief moments when Naruto only had to deal with one person, he was easily able to duck under the white haired old man's kick. Naruto counter-attacked by planting his feet and delivering a solid blow to the old mans stomach. Naruto grabbed his opponent's arm as he coughed at the impact, and then span him around, throwing him into the woman.

Too busy concentrating on her next spell, she wasn't fast enough to dodge the human projectile and they fell in a heap.

They recovered quickly, but not quick enough. Immediately, Naruto was between the two; punching the woman in the face, he felt her magic barrier shatter around his fist. Not wasting any time, Naruto landed a spinning kick to the old mans face before he'd even had time to raise his arms in defence.

Both were on the ground, unable to move, just barely aware of their surroundings, and of the blond teen standing over them.

"Geez, you guys are weak."

"How?" the woman gasped, just barely remaining conscious.

Naruto flailed his hand as he spoke, trying to shake away the pain of hitting a magical barrier so simply. "Because you guys are weak," he repeated, "Negi could probably beat you single handed. You are still at the level where you have to speak you incantations out loud, and seeing as I'm a ninja, you're too slow. I didn't even have to use any Jutsu." This he said the swimmer. Turning to the old man, he said, "You hit quite hard, and you really are quick, but I'm still leagues above you in both respects. Your timing and combinations weren't bad, but they weren't good enough to beat me. When I was dodging both sets of attacks, you should have realized that one on one for even a moment wouldn't work, and backed off when your support dissolved," he continued to lecture the man. "Oh, night, night," he finished, noticing that the duo had finally given in to the darkness and slipped into unconsciousness.

"Ah, I didn't even get their names," Naruto mused aloud, snapping his fingers together in his favourite seal and creating two clones. Both of which grabbed one of the attackers and carried them to Mahora to ask what he should do with them.

Naruto simply continued on his way to Nick.

* * *

"So, we doing this?" asked Yuna. She was wearing dark shades and carrying a large gun in her hands. On one side were the words 'Spirit Trap' and on the other was the word 'Exorcism'. The gun was attached by tubing to a large backpack she carried on her back. No matter how you looked at it, this gun was meant for ghost hunting.

In all, five people were holding similar weapons; Yuna, Makie, Haruna, Asakura, and Shiina.

They were gathered just outside of their classroom of 3-A. In all, most of the girls were present. The cheerleaders, the Library club trio, the four sports club members, Satsuki, Kuu Fei, Ayaka and Konoka were all present.

"Thank you for this," Ayaka told the five with the weapons, clinging onto Akira and shivering.

"Alright, Miyazaki, you're up," the reporter directed.

"Ehh? What?"

"Artefact, artefact. I've determined the identity of the ghost is most likely Aisaka Sayo, who died in 1940."

"Al-alright. Adeat." With that, her card transformed into a book.

"What are you guys doing?" Yuna asked.

"Ah, Miyazaki can commune with spirits. Just you watch, it'll be amazing."

"Sweet, really? Alright Book Store, show us your stuff."

"H-Here goes. Aisaka-san, why did you show yourself before us?"

* * *

Sayo was worried; her classmates were back again to work on the haunted house, but this time they seemed to want something else as well. Drifting over to investigate, she couldn't help but think how much easier it would be if Negi-sensei or Naruto-sensei were here, but both were missing.

"KYAAA!" the girls began to suddenly scream. "She wants Negi-kun and Naruto-sensei!"

'_What? How did they know that? And why were they screaming?'_

"She wants to take Negi-sensei from us?" Makie yelled.

"Like hell we'll let Naruto-sensei be taken from us!" Shiina added.

"No, no, it's a misunderstanding!" Sayo yelled, unheard.

Suddenly Ayaka was there, ripping one of the girl's guns from her back, shouting, "How dare she threaten Negi-sensei!"

The other girls continued to panic, and Ayaka even fired her newly acquired gun, letting out a short stream of green gloop that was a little to close for the ghost girls' comfort.

She could feel the panicked scream as it tore out of her translucent throat, and felt tears running down her eyes as she watched in terrified amazement as the desks and chairs began to float into the air in response to her fear.

There was suddenly a flash that freaked her out even more, and in response the entire room got worse.

"Don't worry everyone, I've called in some professional help," someone announced, though Sayo couldn't tell who.

And then in walked Mana and Setsuna, both wearing battle outfits. "There!" Mana suddenly announced, pointing right at her.

Every girl turned in her direction, those with weapons pointing them at her.

Screaming, she fled, the whole class following and yelling out "You won't touch our Sensei!" Whether they meant Negi, Naruto or both was impossible to tell.

Flying through the corridors, Sayo just barely managed to dodge a barrage of bullets and even a slash from Setsuna's sword, but eventually she was cornered.

Pointing her gun, Mana said to her, "I commend you for avoiding us thus far, but this is the end. Move on to the next world, and threaten our Sensei no more!"

And then there was Hell.

* * *

Stretching, Naruto left the principals office and headed down the stairs. The rest of the job had been relatively straight forward after dealing with those two. He'd found Nick rather easily and, apart from a little trouble from a man who wanted the texts which he'd collected _from_ Nick who was even weaker than the water Mage and old man, there had been no other interferences. He'd made his way back and delivered the book with no other problems.

A quick report later and Naruto was on his way back to the cottage.

Though just as he was making his way through the courtyard, he spotted a running Negi going full tilt; Asuna was even struggling to keep up.

Curious and slightly worried, Naruto chased after them.

"Negi! Negi, what's wrong?" Asuna was shouting.

"I told you, Sayo-san is in trouble!"

"What are you talking about, who is 'Sayo-san'?"

"Negi, explain, quick," Naruto demanded as he pulled up alongside the pair.

Negi didn't even blink at his sudden appearance.

"The girls are trying to perform an exorcism; it seems they saw Sayo-san and mistook her for an evil spirit. Damn it! I was so busy training with Master and trying to organise the festival, I didn't notice until Asuna-san came to find me and informed me of the situation."

As soon as he'd finished, the sounds of gun fire rang out. Their heads both snapped to the source of the foreboding sound; through the windows they could both clearly see the form of Sayo being chased by Mana and Setsuna. Both noticed she was cornered at the same time.

Asuna continued to look on in confusion. She could see the something the two girls were chasing, but from this distance, it wasn't very clear.

"Negi, launch me!" Naruto demanded.

Negi didn't even stop to think as he grabbed his staff and began to chant a simple wind spell. One of his students was in danger.

Naruto quickly backed up, and once he was sure Negi was ready, began to get a running start.

The courtyard was huge, and the three of them were quite a distance away from where Sayo was; they were more or less on the other side entirely.

That didn't matter though, as Naruto preformed a running jump. At the same time, Negi swung his staff like a baseball bat as the ninja past, releasing his spell.

The result was a grimacing Naruto taking off faster than Asuna could follow.

* * *

Mana was just about to pull the trigger when she heard it.

"DYYYY-"

The sound left her with a feeling of unease.

"-NAAAA-"

Setsuna felt it as well, like a calamity was approaching. The sound was getting louder, and therefore closer.

"-MIIIIII-"

It was almost here. Both girls took a defensive stance as they searched for the threat.

"-C ENTRY!"

And then Naruto-sensei smashed full speed through the window next to Mana, slamming his foot right into her face.

She didn't even know what hit her. Neither did Setsuna as she found herself deprived of her sword and flying backward through the air, haven taken a palm strike to the chest.

The rest of the class turned around the corner just in time to see Naruto-sensei standing in front of a cute girl with white hair and red eyes, glaring down at the reeling forms of Setsuna and Mana.

He was furious; this was the first time any of the class had seen him this way. Annoyed, even exasperated, yes. Angry, no. It sent a shiver up their spines.

If the way the two exorcism agents were scrambling to assume seiza position in front of him were any indication, it sent chills up their spines too.

"Mana-chan, Setsuna, can you explain to me why you are threatening a friend of mine. I don't take kindly to such behaviour you know."

"Friend?" Makie squeaked.

That was a bad idea, as it turned his attention to the rest of the girls. The next thing they knew, they too were before Naruto-sensei, seated next to Setsuna and Mana. It seems their brains had processed the idea of an angry Naruto, and immediately gave the command to submit. A good survival strategy.

"Explain," he said simply, idly stroking Setsuna's very real, very sharp, and very bare blade.

Gulping, they did so. They told him how they'd found the ghost last night, and had come to investigate and possibly exorcise it tonight. They'd found out through Nodoka's spirit medium powers that she wanted Naruto and Negi-sensei, and so they had panicked and tried to get rid of her to protect them.

After the story was finished, Naruto sighed. "All this over a misunderstanding. Well, I guess its fine then. But first, you need to apologize to Sayo-chan."

Negi nodded from beside him, Asuna standing close by. They'd arrived soon after the story had started.

"Who?"

"The ghost; this girl who has been clinging onto me for the past ten minutes."

That was when they finally noticed that the white haired girl was no longer huddled in the corner and was indeed seemingly trying to squeeze Naruto-sensei to death.

She looked up for where her face was planted in Naruto's side to look at the assembled girls. She had rather obviously just been crying.

"Sorry," the girls mumbled, ashamed of themselves.

"I didn't quite catch that," Naruto forcefully told them.

"We are very sorry!" they all bowed.

"A-apology accepted," she shyly told them. "Will you be my friends now?"

"Of course," Makie cheered, the other girls enthusiastically agreeing.

Sayo broke into tears again, a wide smile on her face. And then, slowly, she began to disappear before the girls' eyes.

"Alright everybody, back to preparing the haunted house," Ayaka told them after a moment of silence.

"Ah, maybe she's gone to a better place," Ako suggested.

"Let's hope, for her sake, she has."

With that, the group of girls left. All but Asakura, who stayed with Negi, Naruto, Asuna, and at Naruto insistence, Mana and Setsuna.

"It really is too bad she's gone again, I really would want to be her friend," she mused aloud.

"You know she's not gone, right? She's still here. If you really want to be her friend, you can."

"Eh? Really?"

"Yep. What do you say, Sayo-chan, do you want Kasumi as a friend?"

It was faint, but Asakura could definitely hear it. The small voice of the cute ghost girl saying "Yes" as she faded back into view.

Soon afterwards, Negi and Asuna left with Asakura and Sayo, leaving only Setsuna and Mana.

"Now, Mana-chan, Setsuna, let's have a chat about why it's not a good idea to threaten my friends, shall we?" he said with a smile, his eyes closed into slits.

It was then that Setsuna became hyper-conscious of the fact that her sword was still in Naruto's hands and Mana of the fact that her favourite gun was behind Naruto and she was effectively unarmed.

They shared a glance that showed the other their very pale and sweaty face, and in that one moment they understood; they were screwed.

* * *

Omake: Meet the Wife, Part 2.

After Nagi had finally calmed down, he and Minato made their way through the forest, before finally coming across a small cabin.

It was constructed from simple logs, and by all appearances appeared to be rather shoddily made.

Nagi didn't even blink as he burst through the door, shouting out, "Akira-chan! I'm home!"

Cautiously, Minato followed behind. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped at the sight. Inside the cabin was entirely different. The walls weren't made of logs, but were just normal walls, and the interior was much too big to fit inside the small cabin the blond perceived from the outside.

'_An illusion,'_ Minato mused. _'Or maybe a spell which distorts space within certain boundaries.'_

From around the corner out came a beautiful woman with long blond hair a few shades darker than Minato's own. Her eyes were different colours, the left one green and the right one blue. She was also rather tall for a woman, giving off a regal presence.

Immediately, Nagi bounced towards her happy as can be and gave her a hug, rubbing his face against hers like an affectionate puppy.

"Welcome home, Nagi," she greeted formally, seemingly ignoring the hug. "And who might you be?" she asked Minato, who stared in bemusement from the door.

"Ah, let me introduce you! Akira-chan, this is a new friend of mine, Namikaze Minato. I met him on the road and he needed my help. Minato, this is my wife, Akira Springfield."

"Nice to meet you, Akira-san," Minato bowed.

"Likewise, Namikaze-san" Akira returned the bow.

"Geez, you two are way too stiff and formal. Relax a little."

"And you are much too carefree. We have a guest; you should be more polite."

Nagi simply waved her off, saying, "That doesn't matter. He's a friend, a friend."

Akira's face froze. "If you'll excuse us a moment, I need to speak to Nagi in private," she told the ninja, before guiding Magi into a nearby room.

Thinking it impolite, he didn't even bother trying to listen in, so he was shocked when there was a resounding smacking sound of flesh hitting flesh, and a sullen Nagi re-entered the room, rubbing a cheek, while a still stoic Akira trailed after him.

"Please, follow me. I'll prepare some tea."

Minato and Nagi shared a look, and both shivered. Women could be scary.

* * *

As Nagi was led out of the room, leaving Minato alone, Akira turned to him when she was sure they wouldn't be over heard.

"What are you doing, bringing a stranger here?" she hissed.

Now that they were alone, she had dropped her cold and calm exterior. Slightly.

Now she was in full on domination mode.

"He's a good guy; strong too. Get this; even when I was going full tilt, he was faster than me. You know the saying, when two strong opponents meet fists, they can understand one another? Well, just from our little bout I can tell he would keep us, _you_, secret. He might even offer to help us if we need it. Besides, he didn't even know who I was; I don't think he'll recognise you either. I think he comes from somewhere really remote."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just am. Please, trust this knight of yours." Nagi gave her a small bow.

Akira seemed to consider this for a moment. "Very well, I will trust your judgement on this."

"Thank you."

"Now, about your behaviour. You should behave in a more dignified manner; it's been quite some time since we last had polite company."

"Hey, Jack and the rest of the Ala Rubra visit us all the time," Nagi pouted.

"Like I said, it has been quite some time since we had _polite_ company."

"Hey, hey, he's the kind of guy who'll compliment his wife just for sex; unlike you my beautiful and loving wife who is more likely to smack me if I even mentioned how great your ass is."

_*Smack* _

Holding his quickly reddening cheek, Nagi asked, "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Yes. Now, come, let us properly entertain our guest."

"Yes Mistress."

"And don't you forget it."

* * *

A/N: Again, thanks to Daughter of Ether for translations.

_Biblio Pluvia - _Book of Rain

About Naruto and his dissatisfaction with Mahora: I'll eleborate on this more later. Hopefully you mostly understood from what he said here anyway.

The female water Mage: her design maybe a bit weird, so I thought I'd explain a little. Those leg warmers of hers actually transform into fins for ease of movement in water and the rest is self explanitory.

I think that's everything.


	21. Countdown Part Two

Naruto found himself wandering alone in Mahora, surrounded by dozens of people who were eagerly preparing for the festival. As he passed, Naruto felt a multitude of female eyes on him, sending a shiver up his spine. He kept hearing whispers of the World Tree too, which didn't help his nervousness.

It was rather unnerving to have all these eyes on him; it hadn't been this bad since he had first arrived, but now he couldn't use the excuse of him being new to justify the attention. Before it had gradually faded, but now it was back full force. Maybe he had something on his face?

His hand unconsciously wiped his face, but it did nothing to change the situation. Giving a group of passing girls a nervous smile that sent them giggling, he continued on.

It was a couple of days after Sayo had been threatened, and most of the class seemed to believe that she had moved on to the next life.

Sayo was rather upset at that, but apparently Kasumi had begun to interact with her move, which was a plus.

Right now he was going to visit Mana, Kaede and Kuu Fei to tell them they would start the spars after the festival, and in Kuu Fei's case, invite her in the first place.

He'd been hoping to catch them as they left school, but he'd lost track of time and so arrived too late.

It had been simple enough to find Mana, who had headed straight to the dorms. The rest were proving harder to find. Setsuna and Kaede were nowhere to be seen, and so Naruto found himself heading to Chao Zi Bo where Kuu Fei would probably be working.

He ended up finding more than he bargained for.

A crowd had gathered around the restaurant in a loose circle, most of them male. Slipping through the crowd, Naruto found himself looking at Chachamaru, who was wearing a short and cute white top and a short skirt, showing off her more obviously robotic joints.

Naruto had never seen her in anything quite so revealing.

Naruto approached, giving her a smile and a wave.

Nervously, she returned the greeting before turning her attention back to Negi and a few classmates.

Negi, Asuna, Setsuna, Konoka and Hakase were all present, the latter intently scanning a computer.

"What are you guys doing?" Naruto asked as he approached, giving Cha-chan one last curious glance.

"I'll run a search of her database!" Hakase declared suddenly.

"You can do that!" Konoka asked in amazement.

"Oi! Isn't this a breach of privacy?" Asuna quickly put forth.

Negi was watching them intently, so Naruto turned his attention to Setsuna, the only one who had acknowledged his arrival apart from Chachamaru.

"What's going on?"

Setsuna squeaked at his question, looking like a frightened cat who wanted to bolt.

Naruto gave her a confused look, before suddenly remembering. He broke into a kind smile. "Don't worry," he told her soothingly. "I'm not mad anymore."

Setsuna continued to gibber incomprehensibly. Seeing this, Naruto turned his attention to Negi, hoping she would calm down soon. It had been two days since he chewed her out over the Sayo incident.

"What's going on?" he asked again.

"We're checking Chachamaru's memory for the one she loves." It was Hakase who answered, speedily typing on her computer.

"What!" Naruto yelled. He shared a look with Asuna, who gave a single nod. "That's enough," he asserted as he and the red headed girl approached.

"Yeah, this is seriously too much," Konoka put forth.

"Aha, what's this? A Favourite's folder?" She clicked it open.

The screen instantly flashed up, showing three sub-folders, one with no title, the other called 'Uzumaki's Blackmail.' The final folder was titled 'Family'.

"What's this? Family? Blackmail-?"

"You keep your blackmail on Chachamaru?" Asuna turned to Naruto.

"I don't know how to use a computer, and she told me this was the best way. You aren't allowed to open that by the way," he told the still ranting mad scientist.

"-and what's with this anonymous folder! She wasn't programmed to think of family or love!" The scientist opened the 'Family' folder. It showed various pictures and video clips, all of which contained Eva, Chachazero or Naruto, a great many of them containing all three, often with Negi added to the mix.

Most prominent of all was the first picture, which Hakase opened and fully enlarged. It showed a sleeping Naruto, on one side of him a snoozing Negi, on his stomach laid a content looking puppet, and snuggled into his left side a certain blond vampire. All four seemed peaceful and at ease.

"Awww," Konoka let out, "that is so cute! You look just like a set of siblings."

"When was this taken?" Asuna asked.

Nervously Chachamaru answered her. "On the first night of Negi-sensei's training; mother snuck into Naruto-sensei and Negi-sensei's room. I believe she felt lonely."

"Oh, so this is when it started?"

"You were aware of mother's actions Naruto-sensei?"

"Well, I didn't notice it that time, and who knows how many other times, but I am a ninja you know. Of course I would notice if someone repeatedly slipped into my bed."

"Repeatedly?" Asuna demanded.

Naruto shrugged. "I don't particularly mind. She does it every so often, and I'm not heartless enough to throw a girl out without a good reason. I'm not sure why she does it, though I have a guess." Instead of elaborating, he turned to Chachamaru for a possible explanation, unwilling to give his own theory.

"It is not my place to talk about mother's troubles; she has also specifically ordered me not to tell you about my belief that she does it because of loneliness, and Naruto-sensei exudes, in her words, a very comforting aura. She told me that if I were to reveal such information,and that mother said this almost too softly for me to hear while looking very pleased, she would punish me severely. Therefore I won't tell you anything."

Chachamaru nodded her head as she finished, looking amazingly self satisfied despite there being almost no change in expression.

Naruto grinned, pleased at the robotic girl for telling them anyway, even if it was in a strange roundabout way.

"What's this? Chachamaru violating Eva-san's orders shouldn't be possible. I programmed her to follow such instructions flawlessly. Just how much have you grown?" Hakase asked in wonderment. "Love, embarrassment, family and now disobeying orders; just how far will you go?" The mad scientist's eyes widened. She'd been sidetracked by the blond teachers' arrival and had forgotten her original objective. Not that it mattered; his arrival had given her extra data, and for true scientists like her, data was more precious than gold.

"Now, for the most important thing. Who does she love?" the girl cried out, raising her arm up and bringing it down onto the mouse with a resounding crack.

A screen opened, but before Naruto took more than a glimpse of red hair, he and the rest of the observers were pushed away.

He landed on the bottom of the heap, Setsuna, Asuna and Konoka atop him. Naruto involuntary squeezed his hand as he tried to push the three upward. Asuna let out a moan.

Naruto flushed as he registered what he was holding in his hand.

Similarly, Asuna's face reddened.

"Oho, Ane-san, I never would have expected you to be cheating on Aniki with Naruto-nii," Chamo chimed in.

"Shut up you damn squirrel!" Asuna snapped. "Me and Negi aren't like that."

"Oh, so you and Naruto-nii are like that?"

"NO!" she snapped again, turning even redder.

Naruto said nothing, still half expecting a thrashing that never came. All he got was small hit on the head that he barely even felt. A punishment that Naruto translated into 'Be more care', and not the usual 'How dare you accidently do perverted stuff!', like he was used to.

"Hakase, you idiot!" Chachamaru yelled out, firing a rocket punch which sent the scientist flying.

Naruto let out a whistle, satisfied by her tears that the glasses wearing girl had deserved it by going too far. A theory that was further reinforced by Chachamaru literally overheating moments later and running off in a panic.

Naruto was about to chase after her when he noticed Negi pick up his staff and mount it.

"Negi, can you handle it?"

"Sure can nii-san!" the boy called back.

Naruto relaxed, content to let him take care of it. He had to fly solo occasionally, and this was the perfect opportunity to let him spread his wings. Instead he turned back to his original objective; he'd find out just what the hell was going on later.

"Kuu Fei," he turned to the Chinese girl, who right now was working as a waitress. "Has Setsuna spoken to you yet?"

The blond shook her head as she approached. "No-aru. What did you wan to talk about?"

"I wanted to invite you to join Mana, Kaede, Setsuna and I for sparring. So, what do you say?"

Kuu gave it a moments thought before finally nodding her head.

"Great!" Naruto cheered, giving her a brilliant smile. "We'll start after the festival, alright? I really do need to work on my Tai-Jutsu, so you joining us will be really useful."

"I'll be looking forward to it," she responded with a grin of her own.

'_Alright_,' he thought, _'now to find Kaede.'_

Naruto wandered around campus, searching for the laid back Kunoichi to no avail.

He did run into someone else though.

She was alone, which was unusual for her. Then again, considering the books he could see poking out of her bags, he could understand why she wasn't with her two closest friends.

"Hey Haruna," Naruto greeted.

The girl's attention snapped to her blond haired sensei. "Hey Sensei. What're you doing?"

"Looking for Kaede. What are you doing with all that porn?"

"This is research material for my manga," she explained.

"You use porn as research material?"

"Sometimes. Right now I'm drawing doing a chapter which contains a sex scene, and so I wanted to look through current media examples."

"Liar," the ninja immediately called her on it.

"I'm not lying."

"You're just a perv who wants to read porn."

"So what if I like to read porn? And they really are for research purposes."

"Do you also spy on bath houses for 'research purposes'?" Naruto asked with a smirk.

"How did you know that!" she yelled, pointing at him in her shock.

"I knew another smut author who always did that. Geez, you don't secretly have white hair and a wart on your nose, do you?"

"No, of course not." Haruna frowned, pushing her glasses up her nose in thought. "You knew a fellow author? Was he any good?"

Naruto shrugged. "I didn't think so, but he was, and even after his death, still is pretty popular. He made me beta-read his last two too."

"You've edited explicit material before?"

Naruto scowled. "Don't remind me. I've had to deal with Ero-Sennin's perverted writing and behaviour since I was 12."

"That's not the first time you've mentioned him. He was the author of explicit-"

"Smut."

"- novels? What did he write? Maybe I've heard of him."

Naruto stopped to consider this. Should he tell her about Icha Icha? There was no reason not to, he supposed. Besides, she was a major fan of Jiraiya's work, even if she was a pervert.

"Ero-Sennin was my sensei and Godfather, the author of the Icha Icha series, Namikaze Jiraiya. He made me read the first two at the age of thirteen, and give him advice during the writing of the second two while I was fourteen and fifteen respectively."

"Icha Icha?" Haruna asked, stars in her eyes. "Can I have-" she began, before suddenly stopping as she remembered that the author of Icha Icha was dead; there had been a note in the books mentioning that they had been published post mortem. Plus, it had been made very clear to her and the rest of the class that Naruto's relatives were also deceased.

She shifted mental gears. "Can you come and read some of my work? I'd love it if someone involved in the production of Icha Icha would critique my work."

"You want me to comment on your smut?"

"It's not smut!"

"Yes it is. Do you know where Kaede is?"

"No, now-"

"Then sure, I'll have a look over it if you want me to, but I'll warn you now that I usually find this kind of stuff boring, so it better not be _just_ smut."

"Don't worry, it's not. And, can I ask a favour?"

"Ask away."

"Well, I wasn't lying when I told you I was writing a sex scene, and _these" _she lifted the bag full of porn, "are fictional materials and just as likely to be over the top and unrealistic. I want a first hand account of someone's first time. The furthest I've ever been is second base. I was this," she held up her thumb and finger millimetres apart, "close to third, but we were interrupted and I dumped him not long after." She gave a defeated sigh. "So this could really help me." She licked her lips and gave a perverted giggle, wiping a bit of drool from her lips. "Maybe you could even give me a live model."

"C'mon you Ero-Shoujo, let's have a look at that chapter," Naruto agreed, slightly amused despite himself. She reminded him a little of Jiraiya, which was nice. Though the way she was staring at him was seriously creepy; it was like she was undressing him with her eyes. No wonder Baa-chan's instinctive reaction was to punch Ero-Sennin through a wall.

"I'm not modelling for you, though I will look over your story if you really want me to. And, depending on how I feel, I might, _might_," he stressed, "tell you a bit about Shion and Ero-Sennin. Though I won't if you keep staring at my ass like that."

Haruna's eyes snapped upward instantly, only to find Naruto still walking forward without having looked back. Slowly,her eyes drifted back down.

It was after a few minutes of silence as they continued on their way that Naruto spoke again.

"I'll say this now, if you keep looking at me like I'm some of your research… or for that matter I find out you have been using either me or Negi for research, I'll, I'll, I'll tell everyone that you've been drawing pictures of Konoka and Asuna naked."

"How do you know about those!"

"What, you really do that? I was just guessing." Naruto gave her an amused chuckle as he cradled his head in one hand. "This is what happens when you spend 3 years with a pervert; you can guess what they'll do."

"So what if I'm a pervert? I take pride in my work!" she instantly snapped back.

It was at this point that they finally arrived at Haruna's dorm room; once inside, Haruna began to unpack her porn onto her desk and hand Naruto some of her past work, as well as the outline for her current chapter.

Naruto spent the next half an hour skimming through her work.

"The chapter I wanted your help on is the climax to a short series that I was asked to do. It is a romantic fling between an insecure man and a confident woman told from the woman's perspective. He becomes more and more confident in himself as time goes on, and the story shows her reaction to this change," she explained.

As he finished the story so far, he gave her a wide grin. "I love it; I wouldn't change a thing."

"Thanks Naruto-sensei. Ha, I can put in big bold letters that it was approved by one of the men behind Icha Icha," she suddenly laughed, her glasses glinting evilly.

"If you want, but I don't see the point. Remember, I only looked Icha Icha over; I didn't write any of that crap."

"How dare you call that Masterpiece of literature crap!"

"I call it like I see it!" Naruto yelled back, standing up so that they were face to face.

"You take that back!"

"Never!"

There was a moment of silence as they glared at each other, before suddenly Naruto broke off, laughing.

Haruna gave him a confused look that the blond soon noticed.

"Sorry, it's just that me and Ero-Sennin used to argue like that all the time."

"Will you tell me about him?"

Naruto gave her sad smile. "Sure. What would you like to know?"

Suddenly the glasses wearing grin grinned, and Naruto shivered.

"You said he was your sensei, right? I bet he taught you a lot of good stuff, right?" she asked as she began to advance towards him.

"Er, yeah, I suppose," Naruto responded, unconsciously keeping his distance from the approaching girl.

"I bet he taught you how to treat a girl," she suggested, licking her lips.

Naruto found himself frantically glancing around the room and only relaxing when he noticed the window was open and big enough to fit through easily.

Even as he did this, he paled at the question. "Don't remind me. It was horrible; the old fart tied me down and gave me tips on picking up women."

"Oh really? Not the kind of advice I expected, but oh well." Haruna's scary advance had stopped now, and with an established escape route, Naruto was much calmer than he had been just a few moments earlier.

Still, he hadn't realised the cause for his panic; it had merely been a subconscious reaction he didn't understand.

"Yeah," Naruto laughed, "that perv tried to teach me how to seduce a girl. Like I would ever listen to him!"

That grin was back, but this time Naruto didn't notice it.

"He did? What did he tell you to do?"

"Stupid stuff; I don't really know how to describe it."

"Show me," she demanded.

"Huh, why?"

"Please?"

Naruto shook his head and approached the mangaka, placing one hand on her shoulder. "Why do you want me to show you something stupid like that?"

"Are you kidding? Techniques thought up by Jiraiya-sensei should be treasured, and I would love to see how he would go about it."

Using the hand on her shoulder, Naruto guided the girl to sit on the bed and took a seat beside her. "Jiraiya-sensei was really talented, but so are you. You don't need me to tell you about how he would go about things; you're a lovely girl, and you probably know better than him the best ways to go about this kind of thing." As he said this, he gently turned her head to make sure she was looking him in the eye, his other hand on hers.

"To create a great and believable scene, you should consider all techniques, views and advice before deciding on the method, and I would be honoured to hear about Jiraiya-sensei's approach to the female mind, for the sake of my manga!"

Naruto gave her his best smile. "That passion of yours is really amazing. It really makes those lovely eyes of yours shine."

Haruna blinked, and for the first time seemed to notice that Naruto's face was inches from her own. Haruna grinned and was about to lunge for the blondes lips when…

"And that's the kind of thing he taught me," Naruto told her as he pulled back, a small blush on his cheeks as he scratched the back of his head and smiled with his eyes closed, a nervous habit. "Kind of dumb, huh?"

Haruna's thoughts raced. Naruto-sensei was in her room, on her bed. His eyes were closed and he had just been pretending to seduce her. It wasn't a difficult equation for her. She lunged for him, and before he could do more than open his eyes in surprise, her lips were already on his and her tongue thrust into his mouth.

Haruna only had time to process that he tasted like ramen before he was pushing her away. He immediately jumped away, his face flushed as he put distance between them; he was prepared to do a back flip out the window at a moments notice.

Haruna licked her lips and Naruto tensed. "If you're going to seduce me, you should be prepared for that kind of thing Naruto-sensei." And then suddenly she pointed at him, a serious look on her face. "You don't mind if I use some of that in one of my manga, do you sensei?"

Naruto blinked. "No, not really," he answered her slowly.

"Excellent. That really was quite good, if a bit cliché. For a moment there, even I, the great Paru-sama was convinced. I'll be looking forward to more."

"More?"

"That's right! More scenes like this may come up, and I expect you'll give me lots of inspiration for the future."

* * *

Naruto trudged back to the cottage soon after that, having failed to find Kaede. He had succeeded in telling the other girls though, and he was sure he could just tell her tomorrow.

The entire fiasco with Haruna had been put to the back of his mind, especially the kiss. That was in the same place as the kisses from both Kaede and Fuuka; the very back, hopefully to be forgotten, simply because he just didn't want to think about it. She seemed to be just messing with him anyway.

Naruto stepped into the cabin to find Chachamaru working on dinner in the kitchen, and Eva playing an old video game on the couch.

He sat himself beside the diminutive vampire as she played, giving her a casual greeting. "Hey Chibi-chan."

She grunted in response, and so Naruto contented himself with simply watching her play.

Less than a minute later though, she suddenly stopped, pausing the game. She turned and leaned into him. Naruto pulled back, slightly confused.

Suddenly she grabbed his collar and dragged him close to her with more force than he thought her 10 year old body could muster.

And then she sniffed him and grimaced. "Where have you been?"

"Just around," Naruto responded uncomfortably.

"Who with?"

"No one in particular."

"Don't dodge the question; who were you with?"

"Why does it matter?"

"You smell like another woman. It's too strong to be just you spending time with her; it smells like you were all over each other."

"We were not!" Naruto blushed.

"Who was it!" she demanded again.

"Geez Chibi-chan, why do you care?"

"I don't care!" she shouted back.

"That's good then. I'm going to help Cha-chan," he told her, disappearing into the kitchen.

With a huff, Eva continued her game.

* * *

The day after found Naruto helping 3-A prepare the Haunted House at lunch; he wouldn't usually help at this time, but he had to make up for not helping out the night before. He'd forgotten he was supposed to help then; what was worse was that it would have been the perfect opportunity to speak to Kaede, but he had missed it.

He had been put in charge of constructing fake walls while the rest of the class was working on costumes and building the entrance.

"Hey guys, have you seen this?" Makie asked, the school newspaper in her hands.

She rolled it open for her friends to see. The title was 'Does It Really Work? Legend of the World Tree.'

The legend of the World Tree is a story that has been circulating around campus for decades. It states that if you confess your love underneath it, you will succeed; your love will be requited.

"I suppose it could be true?" Yuna said dubiously.

"The ghost turned out to be real," Makie pointed out.

Overhearing this, Misora joined in. "Well, I heard from a sempai that, even though the guy she was after was a super cute club captain and loads of other girls were after him, and everyone said it was impossible, when she confessed, he said yes. They've been dating ever since."

"No way!"

"I also heard that, three girls in our year, they asked their student teachers out and they said yes too."

"Second year junior high girls? Isn't that illegal?"

Undeterred, Misora continued on. "This one is unconfirmed, but apparently someone even managed to ask out a guy from one of those boy bands on T.V."

"Really?"

"Yep," she confirmed. By now there was a sizable crowd gathering around Ako and Yuna, the two who were holding the paper.

"Listen to this: 'No obstacle too tough to overcome. Age, looks, fame, anything is possible. Results don't lie!'

"I can hardly believe it," Ako mumbled.

"I know! Me neither!" Makie responded.

"I'm not sure I do…" Akira put in.

"I wish I'd waited and confessed under the Tree," Ako admitted, having recently been rejected by the boy she confessed to not long ago.

"I think I'd like to try it, just to see if it's true."

"Who could you ask though?"

"We are an all-girl school."

"Well, there's always…" Yuna began, glancing at the blond boy who was currently hammering in a nail.

Unconsciously, the girls huddled closer together and lowered their voices.

"Do you really think it would work?"

"I don't see why not. Who wants to try it?

"I will!" Sakurako volunteered.

"…" Zazie interjected.

The other girls jumped at her sudden and silent entrance.

"…" she continued at length.

"Iincho!" Madoka called for Ayaka, the only girl who could understand the most mysterious classmate with ease.

The class president approached quickly. "What do you want?"

"We need you to interpret for us," Yuna told her, glancing at Zazie.

"…"

"Is that so? Girls, you have a job to do, get back to work," she commanded.

"Yes Iincho," they chorused, dispersing unhappily.

The blonde woman turned to her silent classmate. "If you want to talk to him, do so. In fact, I think it's great you've taken an interest in someone; you hardly speak to anyone at all, both inside and outside of class, and I was beginning to worry about you. I whole heartedly encourage you to talk to him; Naruto-sensei is an open and friendly person, and would happily spend time with you. Go for it."

"… Thank you…" Zazie said softly.

Throughout it all, Naruto was oblivious.

* * *

The next day was a day off; the members of class 3-A were all using the opportunity to prepare for the activities their clubs were going to be performing or doing during the festival.

Ako, Madoka, Misa and Sakurako were practicing for a band performance; Zazie was practicing for the 'Nightmare Circus'; the library trio were planning the tour of Library Island and Asuna and Negi were on a practice date. The latter of which looked fifteen instead of his usual ten due to some magic pills.

Naruto had no knowledge of any of this, and was instead continuing his search for Kaede.

After another full hour of searching with no success, Naruto was fed up. _'Screw it, Sage Mode it is,' _he finally decided.

Finding a quiet spot, Naruto began to meditate and gather Natural energy, absorbing it into himself. His eyes turned from blue to gold and his pupil become horizontally slitted with rounded ends, like a toad. The area around his eyes transformed and coloured into red. After a few minutes of concentration, he finally managed to locate the ninja he was looking for; she was a few hours away in a mountain range.

She wasn't alone though; there were two other people with her. Naruto frowned; was that the Narutaki twins?

It was only then when he realised that there was at least a dozen people heading his way at top speed, and he only recognised a few of them. Takamichi, Kotaro, Mana, Negi and Asuna were all very close by, Konoka, Setsuna and Chamo travelling together in a group a small distance away from the latter two.

Then Negi and Asuna began to slow, Konoka and Chao following suit and stopping a small distance away.

Still, Takamichi and Setsuna didn't stop, and neither did any of the others. Negi must have recognised him from when he showed the boy Sage Mode before.

"Ehehe, whoops."

Naruto stayed still and held Sage Mode; Takamichi was the closest teacher and would arrive first. It would be easier just to show the teacher that it was him than leave, rather than making them worry.

He didn't have to wait long before the glasses wearing teacher arrived. Naruto stepped out of his cover and let himself be seen before allowing Sage Mode to fade. He gave Takamichi a nod and mouthed an apology before setting off. He returned the nod with a frown, giving Naruto a stern look.

Without Sage Mode, Naruto couldn't really sense the people that had been speeding toward him, though he did pass a pair of girls on the roof top. One was a young red head who was wearing the middle school uniform; she looked to be in her second year, but then again, if 3-A were any indication, looks could be deceiving.

The other was an older blonde; she was a high school student who seemed to be the same age as Naruto. He gave them a friendly smile and waved as he passed by, causing the blonde to flush bright red when she spotted him. She stumbled in surprise and tripped down into the gap between two buildings.

The young red head travelling with her came to a skidding stop on the next building over and rushed back to the edge to check on her sempai.

Naruto reversed direction, concerned. Jumping down the gap he was quickly joined by the younger girl. Grabbing hold of the blonde, one arm each, and then they hauled her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" the younger girl frantically asked, patting down the taller girl in an effort to knock off the dust and dirt on her clothes.

It was only now that Naruto could get a closer look at the duo. Both were rather pretty. The older girl stood just an inch or two shorter than Naruto, and had long blonde hair that she kept down and dark green eyes.

The younger girl was almost a whole foot shorter than Naruto, and had her shoulder length red hair tied up into two buns decorated with flower like clips, which kept her hair separated into pigtails that hung at the back of her head. Her eyes were a rich brown.

"Yes Mei, I'm fine," she assured the red head, stopping the girl's hands when they continued to pat her. Instead, she lightly brushed herself off.

"Sorry if I surprised you," Naruto apologised, bring both girls' attention to him for the first time.

Mei's face took on a familiar red hue, but the older girls face flushed an even more brilliant red.

"Thank you for stopping to help," Mei gave him a quick bow. "I'm Sakura Mei, and this is my sempai, Takane D. Goodman."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"It's is nice to meet you too, Naruto-sempai."

"N-Naruto-kun, it's good to see you again." Takane told him.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Mei nudged her older. "Onee-sama, we have somewhere to be."

"Oh, of course. Will you be coming Naruto-kun?"

"No, sorry, I have somewhere to be. I'll see you around," Naruto told them as he jumped up onto the building's roof and continued to the mountains.

'_Wait, did she just say again?_' Naruto thought to himself.

* * *

Takane frowned as Naruto disappeared, but didn't pay it too much mind. Mei was right; they still had to check up on that sudden appearance of a powerful and unknown energy source.

"Er, Onee-sama, is Naruto-sempai a mage like us?" Mei asked once they were moving again.

"I believe so; he is at least aware of magic."

"Have you two met somewhere before?"

The high school girl flushed. "That's none of your business."

Chastised, Mei quietened down until they reached the area in which the strange energy was sensed. Not that it was difficult as Mei was a shy person by nature, and had only spoken first in that alley because her Onee-sama had been acting strange.

When they arrived, they found a small group of Mage teachers and other magically aware students had gathered around Takamichi.

"Sorry we took so long," Takane apologised as soon as she was close enough. They were the last to arrive of the people she had sensed coming.

Takamichi gave her a good natured smile. "No need to worry. This was a false alarm."

"A false alarm? What was it? You can't just dismiss this as nothing. We all sensed something powerful and we have a right to know what it was. We can't all have been fooled," one of the teachers put in, Gandolfini, a tall dark skinned Mage teacher.

"Yes, you are right," Takamichi allowed. "The truth is that the power originated from an ally. When I arrived at the scene, I discovered Uzumaki Naruto to be the source. To be truthful, I am unsure of the reasons he was using so much power, but it was definitely coming from him. He seemed apologetic for attracting so much attention, so he probably didn't mean to bring us all here."

"That was Naruto-sensei? But I thought his power couldn't be sensed by Mages." Mana put forth.

"This might have been his Sage Mode; Negi-sensei told me about it. Apparently he can be detected when he is using it," Setsuna explained.

"He did mention he had a couple of power-ups," Mana mused.

"Aniki's been holding out on me," Kotaro growled.

"Naruto-_sensei_?" Takane asked. "He's a _teacher_?"

"You hadn't heard? Naruto-kun was set up as a substitute teacher when he arrived. He isn't really in charge of anything; it is more like a figure-head position so that we have an excuse for why he is here, just in case any mundane investigates."

"Why wasn't he just enrolled?"

"He refused," Takahata shrugged, "and the Headmaster wanted him to stay so much he let it slide."

Takane dumbly nodded her head. Now that the explanation had been finished, the group dispersed, leaving Mei and Takane alone.

"What's wrong?" Mei eventually asked.

Blushing again, the taller woman shook her head. "Nothing. Let's go."

* * *

It took Naruto about an hour of roof hopping and eventually tree jumping to get to the general area where Kaede and the twins were.

Once he arrived they weren't very hard to find.

The sound of splashing and spluttering was easily distinguished from the sounds of the forest. Naruto could also hear the soft sound Kaede's laughter over the shrieks of the twins.

Hiding his presence, Naruto approached quietly. Poking his head through a gap in the foliage, Naruto found himself looking into a clearing with a large pond being fed from a waterfall, a rocky overhang to the right. Kaede sat there, her legs dangling over the edge. She was watching over the twins as they continually stepped onto the water and fell through.

No, that wasn't right. Fumika had just managed to take two steps on top of the water before she fell through. She came up spitting water but with a proud smile splitting her face.

"Much better," the tall girl praised. "Remember, you need to maintain a steady stream of chi. Fuuka-chan, you need to use less power. You're just pushing all the water away."

"Hai!" the girls chorused, climbing out of the water and trying again. For the first time, Naruto noticed they were both wearing blue one piece swimming suits, school issue. Their names and class number was stitched onto the front. That made distinguishing between them easier, as with their hair down they were near identical.

Naruto grinned. So, she was teaching them a bit of Nin-Jutsu. Well, time to have fun.

Naruto waited patiently, watching all three girls until none of them were focusing on him. That was when he moved.

As far as Nagase knew, one moment she was alone with her apprentices, and the next there was a hand on her shoulder and someone whispered "Boo," in her ear.

She couldn't help it and jumped, letting out a shriek as she fell into the water below. The sudden shock of cold water enveloping her caused her to gasp.

With a splash, all three girls were now in the water, and when they all arose, gasping for breath, they found Naruto on his back, laughing his head off; one hand held his stomach, the other pointed right at them. "Haha, your faces, hahaha," he continued to laugh.

"Naruto-sensei! What are you doing here?" Fuuka asked.

He answered once sufficiently calmed. "I needed to talk to Kaede; I'm rather surprised to see you two here though, and learning Water Walking no less."

"Yep, Kaede-nee-chan is teaching us to be ninja!" Fuuka happily told him, splashing water up in her excitement.

"Nee-chan, that's a secret!" Fumika chastised her sister. Both were treading water.

"Don't worry; I'll keep this between us Nin," Naruto fake whispered, a grin on his face.

"You're a ninja too?"

"Yes. In fact, Naruto-sensei is an even stronger ninja than I de gozaru." Kaede told them, climbing up to stand on top of the water.

"Really?"

"Yep," Naruto confirmed, jumping down and onto the water to stand beside Kaede. Where he stepped, the water barely rippled.

"Will you teach us then?" Fuuka asked.

"You should respect your teacher," Naruto told her plainly. "I'm sure she knows what she's doing. Besides, there are a lot of reasons I'm not really suitable."

"Owww," they both groaned.

Naruto gave Kaede a glance and she nodded her acceptance. "But, I suppose I can give you some help today."

"Yay!" they cried as they began to splash in the water once again.

"Alright then girls, out of the water," Naruto ordered, stepping between them. He quickly made the hand-seals for _Suiton: Suijinheki no Jutsu_ and placed his hands on the water. Both girls shot up on the top of the water walls that only existed for a second before Naruto plucked both girls out of the air as they began to fall.

"Awesome!" they gasped.

He held the both of them up by having one arm wrapped around their sternum and they both clung onto him in turn. Fuuka grinned as she tightened her grip.

"Oi, Fuuka-chan, not there," Naruto was quick to tell her.

With a weak grin the elder sister moved her hand from his ass to the small of his back.

"Alright girls, we can do this the quick way or the slow way. Which is it?"

"Quick!" Fuuka yelled.

"Slow!" came from Fumika.

"Alright, Fuuka-chan first. Put your feet on the water," he let her do so. "Now, focus on pushing out a steady stream. I think Kaede-chan said you need to use less power."

"But it's hard to control."

"Yeah, I used to have the same problem. It helps to form the hand seal to concentrate before stepping onto the water." He waited a moment as she closed her eyes and formed a hand seal that Kaede taught her for control. "Ready?" She nodded. "Alright," he said. It was her only warning before she was dropped.

She hit the water and managed to steady herself and stand for a full two seconds before she fell through.

"Good job. Keeping trying like that."

"Hmm, what method of checking is this de gozaru?"

"The sink or swim method," Naruto answered Kaede's question. "You should consider yourself lucky," he addressed this to Fuuka. "When I was learning this it was at a hot spring; whenever I fell through I would boil."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Would you like me to find a hot spring and you can try it out?"

"Nononono!"

"Excellent. Now keep trying," he instructed.

Now Naruto turned his attention to the younger twin, who was still in his arms. "And now for the slow method." Naruto shifted his grip, causing her to squeak, so that instead of holding her in one arm, he held her with both in front of him and facing towards him, her feet skimming the water.

"Now," he began, "I want you to do like your sister and form the hand seal Kaede-chan taught you." Fumika did so, closing her eyes in concentration. "Now, I'm going to gently lower you onto the water. Keep the stream of chak- chi steady. Are you ready?"

The girl nodded in acceptance.

Naruto lowered her slowly until she caught on the water and stood on her own. Once she was ready, Naruto relinquished his grip.

She stayed steady on the water; it took her a few minutes before she began to slip through. Immediately, Naruto caught her and helped steady her.

"Hey, how come you didn't let her fall?" Fuuka demanded.

"Because this is the slow method, and yours was the fast."

"How does that work?"

"By falling through, you'll be more motivated to get it right, and will hopefully improve quickly. The slow method is step by step; you keep trying, slow and steadily trying different levels of Chak- chi, until you get it right. It takes longer but is more efficient. However, you also need patience; something I think Fumika-chan here has, and people like you and me lack."

"You too?"

"Yeah. I would never have been able to learn with this method. I just kept trying over and over again, forcing it until I got it right. That's the best method for people like us."

"How do you know which is the best method?"

"I asked, didn't I? Chances are, those that say they want to learn the fast way don't have the patience for the slow method and would be better suited to the fast method, and those that say they want to use the slow method will have most likely have a more analytical mind better suited to the slow and steady way."

"Really? You got all of that from a one word answer?"

"That, and I know you."

"Oh."

"Yes, 'oh', now keep trying."

Fuuka returned to her practice.

Slowly, both girls improved; Fumika got steadily better, lasting longer with every attempt, while with Fuuka it took longer for her to get going, but once she had, she improved greatly.

All the while, Kaede was content to watch from where she had re-perched herself on the overhanging rock.

At this point, both girls were taking semi-confident steps while Naruto kept watch.

"Um, Naruto-sensei," Fumika began as she walked towards him on the water, "I'm getting really tired," she admitted.

Taking a closer look, she looked exhausted. "Alright, I think that's enough for today."

"I'm not tired," Fuuka proudly told him.

"Then keep going if you want, but your sister's tired."

Said sister took this opportunity to stumble forward into Naruto; he allowed her to lean on his chest as she steadied himself, but when she slipped and almost fell into the water, Naruto outright picked her up and carried her to the shore bridal style.

Seeing this, Fuuka pouted and kicked water at him.

Naruto ignored her as he sat the younger girl down, but when he turned back to the elder sister he was grinning.

"So you want to a water fight Fuuka-chan? No problem!" he called as he immediately leaped into the pond and caused a wave.

She stumbled as the waves washed beneath her feet, forcing her up and down, but she didn't fall.

"Ha, I didn't fall!" she yelled, a smile stretching her face.

Then she felt a pair of hands wrap around her ankles. Looking down, she found the still grinning face of Naruto looking up at her from beneath the surface. "Well, crap." And then he pulled, forcing her under, squealing.

"Playing around, Naruto-sensei? You should be more serious if you're a teacher."

Both teens heard this comment by Kaede, distorted though it was. Fuuka watched as Naruto's face fell into a frown before reversing into a cheeky grin.

He winked at her before his hands began to form seals and a torrent of water burst forth from his mouth.

To Kaede, who couldn't see where her classmate or teacher lurked under the water, it was like a sudden stream that shot forth and soaked her.

"Ara ara, is Naruto-sensei inviting me to a water fight?"

Naruto's response was to repeat the technique, except widening it and aiming just above her head, causing the water to rain down on her from above.

Kaede stood up calmly, shaking the water out of her hair. Then, with a smile, she created three clones and sent them crashing into the water.

The newly risen Fuuka was hit full in the face with one of the resulting waves, causing her to splutter. With some difficulty, she climbed out onto the water's surface and made it to where her sister was resting.

Kaede took this opportunity to jump onto the waters surface, and her three clones did the same, climbing out of the turbulent waters.

There was still no sign of the blond shinobi.

"Are we playing hide and seek now Naruto-sensei?"

There was a moment of silence, and then the kunoichi was splashed from behind. Turning around, she found both the blond and the twins; the elder two were smiling down at her, while the youngest was shyly fretting over the whole thing.

She turned to where she last saw the twins to find them still there. Seeing her looking, they gave her identical grins before poofing into a pair of Narutos which gave her a wave before disappearing with another poof of smoke.

"I'll give you a tip for our next spar Kaede-chan. I'm never where you think I am." Suddenly Naruto straightened up and clapped his hands as Kaede squeezed some water from her hair. "I think it's time for lunch, and then we have to go back to school; we still have to help out with the Haunted House."

"Do we have to? I really want you to teach me more."

"I just finished teaching you to walk on water; what more do you want?"

"That Jutsu that let you spit so much water!"

"I didn't spit it out! Besides, it's too advanced for you…. And I'm not your teac- ninja instructor, Kaede-chan is. If you want to learn, ask her."

"Oww, but-"

"No buts."

"Fine," she sulked.

After that, the four caught some fish and cooked them around a fire.

"So, what did you want to tell me?" the kunoichi finally asked. They were sat side by side as the twins fought over the last fish opposite them.

"Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that," Naruto admitted, scratching the back of his head. "I just wanted to tell you we'll be starting those sparring sessions after the festival is over and done with."

"And you came all this way de gozaru? I'm flattered."

Naruto shrugged. "I was looking for you, and it isn't like I had anything better to do. Besides, I was curious what you were doing all the way out here with the twins."

"This is my training ground and as you can see, we were training; you're welcome here anytime you want de gozaru."

"Thanks."

* * *

"So, what are we going to do about Naruto-sensei?" Mana asked her companion. She and one other person were in the top most level of the Tatsumiya Shrine.

"Don't worry; I know how to deal with Naruto-kun-ne."

"How?"

"How will I deal with him, or how do I know how to deal with him?"

"Both."

"Well, Naruto-kun is like a pussy cat with people he knows; unless we threaten to kill someone-ne. Then he'll become fierce as a hungry lion. That's one good reason why we'll be fine; there will be absolutely no killing" she strongly affirmed. "Without that being a possibility, Naruto-kun won't get serious. Well, _too_ serious-ne."

"The amount of energy he gathered earlier seemed pretty serious to me," Mana pointed out.

"You saw Sage Mode?"

"No, I didn't see him. Is that what it's called?"

"Well, it's either Sage Mode or Kyuubi Mode; I've always wanted to see them-ne," a sigh escaped.

"Naruto-sensei has only been here for just over two months. Not exactly long enough for 'always.'"

"I've wanted to see it for more than two months; I've wanted to see it since I was a little girl."

"And how would you know all this?"

"Because, I'm a Martian!" she stood and shouted it out to the sky.

In response Mana whacked her over the head, an instinctive reaction.

"So, do you think he will join us?"

"Not a chance," she scoffed. "Naruto-kun has already sworn himself to the Headmaster and Negi-sensei, at least for now. He won't betray them-ne."

"Isn't he dissatisfied with having to hide his power?"

"As you've said, Naruto-kun has only been here for two months; not enough time to grow frustrated with having to hide his abilities. The fact that he has only been on two missions, is surrounded by Mages, and has been very secretive anyway doesn't help-ne. He doesn't yet understand the way the world is right now either, and how much revealing magic to the world will help it; he'll trust the Headmasters judgement over mine."

"I see. We can't risk explaining it to him either, because there is too much of a chance he will tip the teachers off."

"That's right."

"Naruto-sensei really is troublesome. We can't just leave him alone; he's too powerful to fight directly, even if he will hold back."

"The same method we are using against Negi-sensei will work on Naruto-kun-ne."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Well, we'll just have to ambush him."

"Did you just shiver?"

"No!"

"Yes you did."

"I'm not the only one-ne!"

Choosing to ignore that, Mana continued. "So, this ambush…"

* * *

Two days later Naruto was once again working in the 3-A classroom. It was in the evening; the class of 3-A had been working at lunch, after school, and in the evening between 19:00 and 21:00. It was looking as though they may have had to go into all night sessions, but with Naruto helping, it would only be one night instead of the perspective three that Ayaka thought it was going to be.

He was the first one here tonight, having come early and alone. It turned out Eva and Cha-chan may come to class early, but didn't want to come help the Haunted house any more than necessary. Well, Eva-chan at least. Naruto was sure Chachamaru would have come with him had he asked, and Eva-chan not demanded she stay with her.

"Naruto-sensei?"

Naruto turned from sewing a costume to look at the door. He found one of the girls looking in.

"Yuna?"

"Hey sensei."

She was alone, which was unusual. Yuna, and most people for that matter, usually travelled in a group, in her case mostly with Akira, Ako and Makie.

"What are you doing here so early?" she asked.

"Not much; I just thought I'd get a head start on this," Naruto told her, holding up a half finished costume. "What about you?"

"The same. I wanted to put the finally touches on my costume and try it on before anyone got here," she admitted with a blush.

"Really? I can leave if you want," he told her teasingly.

"No, its fine sensei," she was quick to tell him.

Naruto nodded, and after a quick rummage, pulled the red costume from the box. It was a rather skimpy outfit; it consisted of a red tube top with half sewn on white fur around the top, a pair of short shorts similarly coloured, the white fur around the waist fully attached this time. There was another red tail waiting to be attached, and a pair of paw like gloves, ears, and a black collar with a bell attached.

As he handed her the fabric, he couldn't help but imagine what she would look like wearing it.

Instantly the picture a picture of her entered his mind, the tight clothes hugging Yuna's frame, her belly, arms and legs bare, cute red gloves over each hand with the whole thing topped with cat ears sitting on her head.

Naruto flushed. "Ah, erm, here you go."

"Thanks," she energetically told him. Then she noticed how red his face was. She grinned. "Have you been picturing me in this outfit?" Naruto averted his eyes from hers, looking off to the side. "I'll look really cute and sexy in it won't I?"

"Y-y-yeah, you will," he stammered.

"Really? You think so?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Thank you! Does sensei want to see me in this outfit now?" she teased, holding the top to her torso as she gave him an inviting wink.

Naruto could feel his face heat up as the blood rushed to his face and his heart began to pound. He knew she was just messing with him, but it still threw him through a loop.

And then suddenly her teasing grin faded. "Sensei," she began slowly. "What was it like being a father?"

Naruto's face froze and his shoulders noticeably tensed. "Why do you ask?"

"Ah, sorry," she panicked, waving her arms back and forth in front of her, waving away the question.

"No, no, it's fine" he assured her. He motioned for her to take a seat next to him and she did so. "Honestly, I never really thought about it much," he started, gaining a far off look in his eye. "Shion was still pregnant when it happened. Thinking back, the baby would have been born soon; I think the due date would have been… late next month; the 30th. I can picture it now; it would have been a beautiful baby girl with my blonde hair and her mother's purple eyes. I can just imagine holding her in my arms," he admitted, miming just that. "I can practically hear her giggle…. I was gonna deliver her myself you know? After I'd finished that punishment Baa-chan gave me, she told me that I'd be putting all that training to use. She said: _'You were the one who put that baby in the poor girl; you'll be the one to pull it out.'_ As horrible as that sounds, I was actually looking forward to it."

Naruto focused back in on Yuna and the present; she looked sad, like she was regretting the question.

Then she suddenly stood up and wiped the tears from his cheeks, before holding his head to her chest in a comforting hug. He hadn't even noticed he'd been crying. He rubbed her arm in response, trying to convey his thanks. Soon, he had stopped crying, and looked up at her.

"Why did you want to know?" he asked again.

"I was just curious, that's all," she told him, breaking off the contact.

"If you want to talk about something, anything, I'll be happy to lend you an ear," he said in response, not quite believing her.

"Thanks," she quickly tried to leave.

"Where are you going?" he asked as she opened the door.

"Just to get a drink. Do you want one?"

"Yeah, sure; just get me anything."

As soon as she was out of his sight she flushed scarlet and breathed a sigh of relief at being able to hold it in.

The reason she had asked about Naruto's feelings on fatherhood was stupid. She had been speaking to her own dad, and he had said something along the lines of: "Being a dad's great. Some of my happiest moments were with you and your mother."

It had caused her to ask herself about what it would be like to be a mother; she had quickly realised that she couldn't really picture it. Then she had found Naruto in the room and suddenly remembered he was a parent. After a moment of thought, the question had slipped out. It was only after that that she had recalled that Naruto-sensei was only _going_ to be a father and that his girlfriend died before she gave birth.

She felt terrible at the moment she realised her mistake and immediately tried to take it back. He had continued though, and as she listened to him speak of a daughter he had never had, she had felt both sadness for him, and an attraction to him. After he'd finished, her immediate response was to comfort him, doubly so when she noticed the tears.

Once his head was resting on her meagre bosom though, she had become almost instantly aware of the intimateness of the gesture. She had had to fight back the blush as she left the room, unwilling to ruin his moment of mourning for the sake of her own silly embarrassment.

Still though, the way he talked about even the prospect of being a dad set her heart racing. Maybe Sakurako had the right idea; Naruto-sensei was cute, had a great body, usually filled a room with cheer, and was always helpful. He would make a great boyfriend. She might just try that confession thing after all.

Right now though, Naruto-sensei was still a little upset; maybe some of her natural cheer would help get him back to normal.

Taking a deep breath, she brought a smile to her lips as she opened the door again. He turned at the noise and gave her confused look. "Now, let's get started!"

Naruto's look of confusion morphed into a grin as they both got to work. Who cared about the drinks?

* * *

Three days before the festival, Naruto was once again working away in the classroom. Now, however, things were finally picking up. This particular morning, Ayaka was feeling just how close to their deadline it was and had been shouting out orders as soon as she arrived.

Naruto was fine with this, at least until Negi arrived. He gave a wave to the child teacher, which he returned.

"How are you doing," Negi asked the class at large.

"We're knee deep in it!" Yuna yelled.

"You'll help us, won't you Negi?" Makie asked.

.

"We should NOT ask Negi-sensei for help!" Iincho shouted, her attention caught. Suddenly she was right in front of the kid, holding both of his hands in hers. "Negi-sensei is a teacher, and this is his first year too. Teacher's shouldn't have to help, and should be allowed to relax."

Naruto shot her a dirty look, causing Sakurako to giggle from beside him.

Naruto debated with himself whether or not he should give her a detention for pure cheek. Then he sighed and let it go. For now.

Suddenly the girl beside him smiled. "Ah, sensei, I wanted to invite you to a concert. Me, Misa, Madoka and Ako are playing during the festival. Will you come?"

"I'd love to. When and where?"

Just as she was about to answer, she was cut off by the twins. "How sly, asking sensei like that. Our club is having a walking tour. You should come too sensei!"

After that, it was like a switch had been turned on and the girls began to crowd around both boys, inviting them to their club activities.

Naruto agreed to everything that was asked of him; his only worry was trying to remember it all. Luckily, he spotted Chamo jotting it all down for both him and Negi. Noticing Naruto's gaze, the ermine flashed him a reassuring thumbs up. Before Naruto could think too hard about how the girls hadn't spotted the white animal when it was sitting so plainly on Asakura's shoulder, and how an ermine had thumbs, he caught a glimpse of how panicked Negi was becoming.

Unlike Naruto, who knew he could be in one thousand places at once, Negi was busy trying to arrange it all in his head, and with a dozen girls crowding around him and inviting him to events, the Mage was a little overwhelmed.

It was then that Asakura stepped in as both Naruto and Negi's manager, or more accurately Chamo using Asakura as a go between.

"Hey! Since when were you Naruto/Negi-sensei's manager!"

"Since the trip to Kyoto," she revealed with a mysterious smile. "But, well, if you don't want to accept me in that position, it just means that Negi-sensei may not make it to your event. He is only ten, and with so many things going on, who knows whose club activities might slip through the cracks," she said to them with an exaggerated sigh.

Ayaka and the others fumed. While it was true Negi was very mature for his age, he was still only ten, and with 31 different places to go to, it would be easy for something to be forgotten. The unspoken threat wasn't missed; if Asakura remained his manager but the girls didn't acknowledge that, Negi would conveniently be indisposed during their event.

"Fine! Once you've invited sensei to your event, get back to work!" Ayaka called out before informing both Negi and Asakura of her horse-back riding exhibition.

Slowly, most of the girls had invited both teachers, though some had only invited one teacher. For example, Ayaka had only invited Negi, while Sayo had only invited Naruto. It wouldn't stop both of them from going to the events regardless though.

Lunch rolled around, and Negi, Naruto, Asuna and the manager duo were all looking over the rapidly growing schedules for each boy.

"It's a tight fit, and I tried to leave you some room for yourself, but…" Chamo trailed off. "I'm not sure you'll be able to fit everybody in."

"Its three days, right? Plenty of time." Asuna noted.

"Yeah. I'd been planning on visiting them all anyway Chamo-kun. I'm their teacher after all."

"That's right Negi-kun"

"And what about you?" Asuna asked Naruto. "Are you going to go see everyone too?"

"Yeah, no problems. I'll have an easier time than Negi here."

"And why is that?"

"Kage Bunshin," Negi answered for him. "Naruto-nii-san can be in dozens of places at once with that Jutsu. What's more, he retains all of the memories and experiences form the clones. It's no problem for him to be in multiple places at once."

Asuna gave a low whistle. "That's one amazing spell you have there."

"Jutsu," Naruto idly corrected as he spotted a group of three approach. It was Yue, Haruna and Nodaka. Each was wearing an apron with a picture of a cat over their uniform.

"Hello everyone, hello Negi-sensei," Nodoka greeted with a smile.

"H-hi," Negi awkwardly returned.

"H-hello," she repeated.

"Nodoka-san? Is there a problem?"

She flushed scarlet immediately, and Naruto suppressed a groan. "It's, it's, it's… The library club is having… Won't you please come to our scavenger hunt?" she stuttered out loudly, thrusting a set of tickets out at him.

Negi took them with a naïve smile, and Haruna and Yue immediately rushed forward, pushing the Nodoka behind them.

"The Manga club will be doing caricatures, so you must come, okay?

"The Children's Literary Club will be having a group reading, while the Philosophy Club will be hosting a discussion circle on Heidegger and Aristotle. May we expect you?"

While Negi stuttered out an acceptance and Chamo added it to the list, Haruna and Yue began frantically whispering something to the shy girl behind them.

Once again, she stepped forward. "Erm, er, er… Negi-sensei, during the school festival, would you like to go together with me?"

"Ah, go, together?"

"It's so embarrassing! I cannot believe I said it!" she yelled, running away.

"Geez, she didn't even wait for an answer! You'll do it though, right?" Haruna asked.

"S-sure I-I will, but…"

"Make it the last day if possible," the short philosopher added, before Haruna set off running. Yue was about to follow when she noticed Asuna's thoughtful expression. "Something wrong Asuna-san?"

"N-no, it's just… she's really brave, isn't she?"

"Heh, can't argue with you there." With that, she was gone.

Chamo and the two girls gave Negi an amused look, while Naruto rolled his eyes.

"E-excuse me… Sorry to interrupt, Negi-sensei," Chachamaru bean to speak to the boy.

Meanwhile, Asakura turned to Naruto. "Someone doesn't seem happy with Miyazaki-san," she noted. "Don't you approve?"

"Not really."

"Why not? I think it's cute."

"And I think Negi's ten and Nodaka is, what, 14, 15? It doesn't matter how mature he is for a ten year old, it doesn't change the fact that he is ten. Besides, he's worse than me when it comes to these things, and I'm terrible."

"That's no barrier to love."

"Tell me Kasumi, have you ever seriously considered Negi as a boyfriend?"

"What, no!"

"Have you thought about it at all?"

"I-I admit I've entertained the thought, but I've never seriously considered it. He's just a kid!"

"Exactly. I don't really like the idea of Nodaka getting close to him and trying to start a romance."

"If not Nodaka, then who do you think would be best for Negi-sensei?"

"Again, he's ten," Naruto repeated. "I don't think anyone should date him, at least not until he is older. Or maybe someone his own age," he mused. "It's not like I'm going to get in the way. Well, not unless they try to cross a line no te year old should cross," Naruto finally sighed as Chachamaru sped off.

Moments later, Kotaro appeared. "Negi!" he shouted as he ran up to the red head. Naruto moved to stand beside them. "The battle tournament registration is almost over. We should hurry and sign up!"

"But I don't want to!"

"What are you talking about? This is the best opportunity to see who is the strongest!"

"If the tournament is just martial arts, I've got no chance. Plus, my schedule's packed."

"Don't worry; I'll squeeze some time out of it. This is a great opportunity to see how far you've come," Chamo pointed out.

"He has a point. This is a great time to test yourself against new opponents," Naruto agreed.

"Exactly! But, er, there's a problem."

"What problem?"

"Anyone under the age of 12 gets put in the children's division. Fighting them would be like bullying."

"Heh heh, I've got a plan."

"Why doesn't that sound good?" Naruto asked.

"Really?" Kotaro ignored him.

"Yep. Aniki, Kotaro, follow me," the white ermine commanded, setting off on a run. "You're going to love this!"

"Hey, wait, you don't mean?" Negi called after them.

"Oi, what is it?" Naruto followed.

Chamo lead the group to a nearby clothes store. "Here, grab these," he directed all three, pointing to two sets of teenage clothing and one for a kid.

Confused, they grabbed them and quickly paid for them. Chamo handed each of them a candy; the two boys a red one and Naruto a blue one, and directed them into changing rooms.

Naruto looked at the clothes he was handed and frowned as he realised it was the smallest set; ones fit for a ten year old.

Nevertheless, he swallowed the candy. With a pop, he shrank. Looking into the mirror, he found himself looking at himself as he looked at Negi's age. He was skinnier, his hair looked longer and fuzzier, his eyes were wider and more open. All in all he looked more innocent; a contrast to the mirror image he remembered looking at when he actually was that age. Back then he was always angry, and his eyes were full of rage. He smiled at his reflection. This was much better.

He quickly changed into the clothes he had been handed and out of the outfit he had been wearing. When he left the changing room he found two teens waiting for him, one a red head and the other a boy with long and spiky black hair. He blinked, then realized he should have expected this. The two boys were obviously Negi and Kotaro.

"Nice look there small fry," the half demon taunted. Naruto immediately resisted the urge to smack the boy upside the head. He settled for a glare which caused Kotaro to grin.

Grumbling, Naruto led the way out of the shop. On the way, Chamo explained the candy. "These are age changing pills. The blue ones make you look younger, while the red ones make you look older. They're really high class magic items. With these, you can enter the adult tournament with no problems."

"And why did you see the need to make me younger?"

Chamo gave him a grin. "You'll see."

Naruto shivered.

"Still, these pills are amazing," Kotaro gushed.

"What, don't you know Henge?" Naruto asked.

"Huh, Henge? You mean transformation?"

"Yeah, basically."

"Nope."

Naruto looked him up and down. "I'll see if I can teach it to you," he offered after a moment. "It's really useful if you know how to use it right, and I can teach you a load of different tricks."

"Thanks Aniki!"

"No problem."

Negi shook his head with a small smile on his face. He found it surprisingly amusing to hear Kotaro call Naruto big brother in these forms.

"So why do you have these pills anyway?"

"We needed them to help Asuna-san with that practice date we told you about."

"What practice date?"

"Huh? I thought Chamo called you to ask if you would help." Three sets of eyes turned to the white ermine.

"So I lied," he cracked under the pressure.

"Wait, why did you need me?"

"Asuna-san needed to practice dating, and she wanted you to do it with, but when Chamo called you and said that you said you couldn't help, we had to resort to these pills to age me up so I could stand in," he rambled before taking a deep breath.

"Geez you two, its always girls girls girls. What's your problem?" Kotaro put in.

At that moment, a group of first year high school girls tittered as they passed, giving both teens their undivided attention. None of the three noticed.

As they got closer to their destination, one thing lingered in Naruto's mind. _'She asked for me?'_

He was unaware that Asuna didn't want to do it in the first place, and when she was cornered she had a choice between two people, and frankly she would rather have the teen than the ten year old.

When they finally arrived back at where they had left the girls, they also found Ako and Madoka speaking to a flustered Asuna.

Spotting them, Negi politely greeted them. "Ako-san, Kugimiya-san! How are you?"

"Do we know you?" Ako asked shyly, taking slight refuge behind Madoka.

"Now there are two cute guys and an adorable kid," Madoka muttered to herself.

"Negi, you idiot!" Asuna whispered, punching the boy/teen in the face.

As they began to whisper to each other, Naruto stepped forward. "Nice to meet you nee-chan's, my name's Arashi!" he enthused.

"Aww, he's so cute!" Madoka squealed, pinching his whiskered cheeks. Naruto silently endured the pinching, until he heard another incoming voice. "Ako! Madoka!" Sakurako yelled, approaching the group. "Huh, who are they?"

"I'm Nagi Springfield. Asuna-san has told me all about you; I can hardly believe this is our first meeting."

"Oh, um," Ako stuttered.

Meanwhile, Shiina turned her attention to the chibified Naruto. There were hearts in her eyes as she looked him over. Naruto cringed as she suddenly began to hug him tightly to her chest. As Naruto was hugged, smothered and generally molested for his cuteness, 'Nagi' was being invited to the concert.

"Please come if you can?" Ako blushed, handing over a set of tickets. "Gotta go!" she ran.

"I hope to see you there," Madoka bowed. "Bring the cute guy next to you too."

"Come on Sakurako!"

"Hai!" the cheerful girl replied, taking the feebly struggling Naruto with her. His head was still pressed into her modest chest and her arms were still liberally feeling him up.

"Help! Help!" he shouted.

"Shiina!" Asuna snapped, "You can't just take some kid you don't know," she chastised, ripping 'Arashi' from the girl. Straight away the blond boy latched onto the red haired girl's shirt and hid behind her.

"But he's so cute!" she said again, ruffling his spiky hair. "Ah, his hair's so soft," she said again, reaching around Asuna to begin rubbing her cheek on the apparently soft hair.

"Let go!" Asuna tried again.

Eventually, she let up. "But only if he comes by tonight," she pouted.

"No, I-" Asuna began, and Shiina was already reaching out to hug him again.

"Fine, fine, I promise I'll come tonight."

"Yay!" she cheered. "I'll hold you to that!" she told them as she ran to catch up with Ako and Madoka.

Naruto gave a sigh of relief as Negi and Kotaro chuckled.

Naruto threw them another glare, though he was silently relieved Negi had a sense of humour. The kid laughed very little. Sure, he smiled, but this was maybe the third or forth time he had actual managed to get the kid to laugh.

"You know, you can let go of me now," Asuna told him.

It was only then that Naruto realized he was still clinging onto her. With a start, Naruto released his hold and backed off. With a shy blush on his face, he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry."

"C-cute," Asuna muttered embarrassedly. Asakura nodded her head in silent agreement, snapping a picture out of reflex.

Turning to Negi, he spotted Chamo leering at him. "You planned this!"

"Heh heh, I thought you would want to know what it's like for Aniki. Give you a little perspective." He puffed on a cigar, smirking.

"You little rat bastard!"

"And now it's not just going to be a hand full, but the full deck," the smirk got bigger, "cause you never go back on a promise."

Chamo blinked, and the next thing he knew he was in Naruto's hands, who twisted, a sadistic grin on his face.

Suddenly, Eva zoomed onto the scene. "Nagi! What the hell-!"

"Ah, Evangeline-san," Negi acknowledged.

"Ah, it's just you," she was quick to realize. Mage's had a mild form of telepathy, and seeing through illusions like this was quite easy. "Why the hell are you going around with a magical illusion?"

As Negi explained, Kotaro turned to whisper to Naruto. "Who is this?"

"This is Eva, Negi's teacher. She's a vampire, and is epically powerful. Apparently. There's a barrier…" he quickly explained the whole thing. "She was the owner of the resort we trained in for a little while."

"Oh, that's cool."

"I see," Eva stated. "I think I'll join this tournament myself. I want to see how my disciple has improved."

"You, Master!"

"Whoa!"

"Then I might join too," Naruto chirped.

Eva stared at him for a full minute before bursting out laughing. "Hahahahaha, is that you Naruto? Hahahahaha!" she clutched at her ribs as they began to ache.

"Shut it Chibi-chan!"

"Haha, like you can call me that now! You're shorter than me!"

"Am not."

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too! Argh! Damn body!"

"Huh? What are you yelling about now?"

"This damn body! Sometimes I act like a kid because of it!"

"Then why am I acting like this?"

"Maybe the magic's affecting you."

Naruto turned to Chamo, looking for an answer. "I thought this was just an illusion."

"It's possible you're mind is being affected. You come from so far in the past you may not have the natural immunity most people take for granted, or might just react differently."

They considered this for a moment. "Or maybe you're just naturally that childish."

The people around them nodded in agreement to this last one.

"Hey!" Naruto pouted.

"You'll be punished if you fail to beat me in my weakened state," she told them. "For the whole last Festival day you will have to do anything I say, in that form."

Naruto pointed to himself. "Even me?"

"Especially you!" she yelled, twirling around to point at him.

"Aww, then let's make it interesting. A bet."

"What are the terms?"

"If I win, you'll do one thing I say. If you win, you get to tell me to do one thing, as well as doing anything you say on the third day."

"That's pretty vague."

"Alright, I'll tell you now; you have to call me 'Onii-chan.'"

"You're still on about that?"

"I only put it on the back burner; I didn't forget. Now's the perfect time to get you to call me that."

"Fine!" she growled. "But if I win, you have to call me 'My Mistress' at all times, even when you're talking about me to someone else."

Both ten year old looking blondes pressed their foreheads together in challenge.

"However, you can't use chakra during the fight," Eva added. In her weakened state, chakra would tip the scale much too far in his favour, and unlike Negi, he had the experience to properly utilise his powers. With her centuries of experience, against Negi, there was a chance she could win even if he did use magic due to him only recently beginning to learn. Naruto had years more practice.

"Done!"

Asakura grinned as she watched. "Alright, with that is your bet agreed?"

"Agreed!" they shouted simultaneously, pressing their heads together almost painfully. They were so close their noses mashed together and they could feel the others breath on their lips. Never one to miss an opportunity, the reporter clicked another photo.

With one final huff, Eva turned and departed, but not before giving one final gloat. "I can't wait to have three slaves for a day!"

"What did she mean by three?" Kotaro asked once she was gone.

"By the way," Naruto opened with, dismissing Kotaro's words, "I was taller!"

Asuna looked upward, thinking, _'I don't think you were.'

* * *

_

With much fear, 'Arashi' approached the 3-A classroom, Naruto escorting him. The taller of the two was just a clone, while the real Naruto was 'Arashi'. He thought the smaller of the two needed to be more durable.

Just before he opened the door, the clone turned to him. "Good luck Boss; I'll try to run interference as best I can."

Arashi nodded, took a deep breath, and then signalled the clone to open the door.

They were a little late today, and so the room was packed when they opened the door. Arashi cringed as all eyes focused on him and jaws dropped.

"He's so cute!" Misa was the first to react.

"See, see, I told you. His cuteness surpasses that of Negi-sensei's."

"I wouldn't go that far, but he isn't bad," Ayaka allowed. "But nobody beats Negi-sensei!" she reaffirmed.

"They look like brothers," Chisame pointed out. "I thought Naruto-sensei was an orphan.

"Coincidence," was Naruto's simple response.

"Bull!"

"Kyah!" the rest of the girls finally pounced, crowding around Arashi, questioning him and hugging him close.

"I'm an orphan," he explained. "Nagi, Naruto and Kojiro (the name they had given to Kotaro's elder form) are some of my sponsors, and decided to take me out for awhile."

As soon as he had finished the sentence, Arashi knew he had made a mistake. The by now slightly familiar sight of streaming tears assaulted him, and he was almost crushed by glomping.

By the end of the night, a dizzy Naruto stumbled to Negi's dorm room and knocked. He'd spent the entire two hours being passed from one girl to another, receiving 'motherly' hugs, having his face pushed into their still developing bosoms and listening to near incoherent blabber that was meant to cheer him up. Then it got worse, as he was once again passed from person to person, except this time the girls didn't even try to act motherly, well, except for Chizuru, who seemed to have that as her default mode, and spent their time stroking his hair and body, dressing him up and finally giving him little kisses. Never on the lips though. Apparently while Negi was cute, huggable and fun to tease, Arashi was cute, kissable, and provided the perfect opportunity to practice mothering someone.

Naruto silently prayed for the emotional scarring their future children would have if they didn't mature. Some of things they did were not motherly at all, despite what they might think.

His clone had been useless the entire time as well; he kept getting blindsided by the girls who weren't smothering Arashi to be told what an amazing thing he was doing.

Chizuru for one had gone so far as to kiss Naruto's cheek, causing the clone to blush.

Not even Mana and Kaede spared him. Even though they could immediately sense it was him, they seemed to take sadistic pleasure in playing with him.

"Aren't you just so cute," Mana opened with. Arashi backed away as she approached, intimidated by her impressive height; she loomed over him with ease. She quickly grabbed him before he could get away and quickly buried him in her cleavage. "I never would have expected you to be here in this diminutive form Naruto-sensei," she whispered, giving him a small grin.

"Mana-chan. Can you, er, get off me?"

"I'm afraid not. You see, I still haven't payed you back for sneaking into my room and humiliating me so. I wonder what I can do with you now? Maybe get you into some of the costumes? I'll bet you'd love that."

Naruto gulped. "Please let me go. If you don't, I may have to do something you'll regret."

"Such as?" she called his bluff.

"You like to compete with Kaede-chan, right?"

"You know I do."

"If you don't let me go, you'll catch up to her but lose all respect of your class mates. Last chance; please let me go?"

"No."

"Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you."

With a heave, Naruto pushed his head out of the valley between her soft breasts. Instantly she pulled him back, not willing to let him get away. Anticipating this, Naruto had mananged to pull himself up.

As she pulled him close, instead of into her bosom, his face mashed lightly onto hers, meeting lip to lip in a kiss. She spluttered and Naruto took this opportunity to wriggle free.

The other girls quickly descended. "Now tha's too far! Young boys shouldn't be forced like that," Ayaka told Mana, who was blushing lightly.

From the perspective of everyone else, she had snuggled Arashi's head between her breasts, and then when he had tried to pull free, she had forced a kiss. When she threw him a glare through the crowd of girls, he flipped her the bird.

Naruto continued to stumble back, right into Kaede. She gave him a knowing look and ruffled his hair, bfore the look turned hard and she began to reach down to grab him. Unwilling to let himself be caught again, he slipped though her arms, giving her a slap on the ass as he passed by. She jumped from the unexpected contact. Arashi found himself next to the twins; he exchanged a glance with them before breaking out into silent giggles. He was already plotting pranks when he was swept up into Cizuru's arms, were he was put back into the group to play.

In the end, to even get out the door he had had to promise to make an appearance during the festival.

Finally, Negi opened the door. Still somewhat dizzy, Naruto just spoke the truth. "Those girls are nuts. You have my undying respect for managing to do anything with them. Goodnight."

* * *

The day before the festival, Naruto was chatting to Chachazero when someone knocked on the door.

He opened it to find Takamichi waiting for him. "Ah, Naruto-kun."

"Takamichi."

"Will you come with me for a moment? The Headmaster wants to speak to you."

"Ah, sure. Just give us a second," he told the glasses wearing teacher. He went back into the cottage. "Zero-chan, I have somewhere to go, you wanna come?"

"Hai!" she cheered. She was quick to take her usual place atop Naruto's shoulders.

"Alright, let's go," he told Takamichi as they set off.

As they made their way towards the World Tree Plaza, Takamichi gave the puppet and Naruto a slightly surprised look. When Naruto noticed and gave him a confused look of his own, he was quick to explain. "I must say I'm surprised you and Eva-san's puppet get along so well."

In response, Naruto smacked the teacher in the stomach causing him to stop short. "Her name is Chachazero, and she's more than just Eva-chan's puppet."

"Ah, of course."

"Why are you surprised?"

"It's just I didn't think you two would have anything to talk about."

"Ah, we just talk about normal stuff. Our past battles, things that happen during the day, that sort of thing."

"That's right!" Zero added.

"I see," he acknowledged with a nod of his head. "Ah, we've arrived," he noted.

Naruto turned his head to find themselves at the Plaza; there were 17 other people present, including Negi, Kotaro, Setsuna and even the two girls he had met the other day, Mei and Takane. The only other people he recognised off the top of his were the Headmaster and Shizuna-sensei.

On the far left were two nuns, one adult (Sister Shikti) and one younger than Naruto. To their direct right was a man in a suit that he vaguely recognised but couldn't place (Seruhiko), then Mei, then the Headmaster, Shizuna, Kotaro, Negi and Setsuna all in a row. Then there were three people, one girl in a sailor uniform, and then two adult men, again in suits. One rather chubby (Nijuin Mitsuru) and the other slightly taller and more fit looking (Akashi). This time he didn't recognise them at all. To their direct right were Takane, and then another group of three, two very tall men (Gandolfini) and a blonde sword wielding woman (Kuzunoha Toko), again in suits. Standing a step apart was another man with a beard and sunglasses wearing a suit (Kataragi). Naruto guessed they were teachers, but couldn't be sure.

"We've been waiting for you, Naruto-kun."

"Yo. You got a mission for me old man?"

"Hohoho, yes indeed. And for everyone here too."

Naruto scanned the crowd and quirked a brow.

"Ah yes, I was about to introduce them. These people are students and teachers from across the campus. All are involved in Magic to some degree or another, teachers or students of the art."

"EH?" Negi yelled. Naruto shrugged, not really surprised at this development.

The teachers took this opportunity to step forward and greet the blond and red head.

"I never would have guessed there would be so many Mage's in this academy."

"I didn't know either." Setsuna added.

"Really? You didn't suspect at all?"

"You knew?"

"No, but I'd thought about it," Naruto admitted. "I mean, there's the giant man eating tree, the vampire guard dog, class 3-A (a magical occurrence in itself), half demons, robots, _you._"

"When you put it like that," Negi muttered, his eyes down cast as he scratched the back of his head. Behind him, the teacher with a sword whispered to her companion, "Man eating?" The suited man shrugged in reply.

"Now, if I can have your attention please. I would like to explain to you the reason I have gathered you here today," the old man began. "We have a problem, and I'll be needing your help to set it right."

"An enemy!"

"Again!"

"Calm down you little brats," Naruto told the two speakers, Kotaro and Negi respectively, ruffling both boys' hair as he spoke. "Wait for it."

From atop his head, Zero sniggered, knowing that he was even worse then them when he was their age.

"Quite right. You are all aware of the Legend of the World Tree, are you not?"

"Which one?"

"Of course!"

This time it was Naruto and Kotaro who had spoken. The blond turned his attention to the half demon, who continued speaking.

"All the kids in my class are talking about it. Something about wishes made on the third day will always come true, blah, blah."

"Wasn't it more about making couples?"

Naruto searched his memory. He might have heard something about this while he was working.

"That's close enough," the old man interrupted. "The thing is, it's true. Wishes do can come true, especially every 22 years. And so, what I need everyone to do, on the last day especially, is prevent any and all students from putting the World \tree Legend to the test."

"So it really does work!"

"Hohoho, as you already know, and Naruto-kun can in particular attest, the World Tree is in fact a magic tree. Once every 22 years, the magical energy accumulates and it begins to glow. From the Word Tree in the center, six loci surround it from which the magic emanates. This Plaza is one of those places."

Hearing this, Naruto began to shift around uneasily.

"This magic is very vulnerable to human emotions. It won't grant wishes for money or power, but when in it comes to things like confessions of love, it grants a 120% success rate! We can't let this kind of power be misused! Changing weather patterns, the environment, Naruto's freedom, who knows why, but what should happen next year is happening now. That is the reason I have gathered you here today."

"But what's wrong with falling in love?" Negi asked.

"But it _is_ wrong. This magic will permanently change that person; I shouldn't need to tell you how Love Potions and the like are illegal. Would you want to fall in love against your will?"

At this, Negi began frantically whispering to Chamo about something Naruto didn't quite catch. He was too busy listening to what Zero was saying.

"If it can make people fall in love by confessing, can't they also turn someone into a blood thirsty killing machine?" the puppet asked with a grin and a giggle. The people around paled at the thought.

"I-It's possible. The wrong words at the wrong time, and we may have a massacre on our hands."

"In theory, you could make anyone act however you want and do whatever you want," Takamichi added.

"Hopefully none of our students hold such ideas, but we should always be cautious." The headmaster changed gears and continued on the original track. "I imagine the rumour has spread thoroughly throughout the campus."

"Very much so," Shizuna told them. "The 'Seven Wonders' club; the Historical Society; the Occult researchers club- they have all investigated the World Tree's glow. Many have come dangerously close to the truth. In female students, the rumour has spread to 79 percent of the student body, and 34 percent among men. Fortunately, the number of people who actually believe is much lower."

Akashi stepped forward. "Still, even if we are only talking about girls who believe in such superstitions and want to try it out, we have quite the number to contest with."

"Indeed. This is how things currently stand. Most of the danger lays on the final day, but already there are signs of activity. I feel for my pitiful pupils, but I must ask you to guard the six loci and prevent confessions."

"We're being watched," Mei noted.

Instantly the suited man who was standing apart from the others earlier, who had slicked back black hair, a goatee, and a cigarette in his mouth, snapped his fingers while extending his arm outwards and downwards. A razor thin shockwave erupted outward.

Naruto followed the wave with his eyes and frowned when spotted the wavering form of Sayo next the falling rubble.

"I didn't sense any magical power."

"Must be mechanical. A student perhaps?"

"If that's true, I must congratulate them for getting past the barrier."

"We must never underestimate the students," the teachers conversed.

Naruto pointed at her and crooked his finger in the universal signal for 'get down here right now'. She gave him a guilty look, and then floated down and into the town. Naruto dismissed her for now; he would speak to her later.

"I'll find them," Takane offered. "It shouldn't be too hard; the number of students capable of this is few."

"Please do."

Dozens of rooftops away, a pair of girls prepared to flee, their spy-bot destroyed. Back at the Plaza, the headmaster continued.

"As long as they don't confess or," he threw a look at Zero, "something else, it should be fine. The main concern is that the adolescences don't make a huge mistake. I should warn you that magic users are more likely to achieve a successful request." The principal nodded his oblong head.

Naruto raised his hand.

"Yes Naruto-kun."

"Can't we just chop the tree down?"

"NO! Of course not."

"Aw," Naruto pouted.

"All of us will make patrol shifts until the festival ends. Alright, scatter!" he finally ordered.

"Yes Sir!"

"Sure thing old man."

Instantly the other Mage's scattered, leaving Konoe, Kotaro, Negi, Setsuna and Naruto in the plaza as it slowly began to fill with people again.

"Where did these people all come from?" Naruto asked.

"The spell keeping them away has been lifted," Negi explained.

"Really? Cool."

"Negi-kun, Naruto-kun, please avoid confessions to your own selves as well."

"Wah, what are you trying to say?"

"That's right Negi, you should be careful!"

"I meant you too Naruto-kun."

"Huh, why I should I be careful?"

"Idiot," Setsuna softly stated.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted. "Is there anything else old man?"

"No, no, just please be careful."

"Sure thing."

With that warning given, Konoe began to amble away and out of sight.

"So, where to?" Kotaro asked as the four began to walk in a random direction.

"I want to checkout some of the booths at the market," Negi told them.

They all agreed, and so set off for the crowded market place. It was situated in the long streets of Mahora, making them seem quite narrow. There were people everywhere, buying, selling and even just talking.

"Still, who would have thought the legends were true?"

"I thought the World Tree magic came from you?" Setsuna said to Naruto. "Do you have any abilities that could explain this?"

"No, I don't have anything that could do that. My chakra is highly responsive to emotions, but other than that, I have no idea."

"Is that the Kyuubi's fault Naruto-sama?"

"Yeah. Its chakra responds to hatred and dark emotions, while in response mine responds to love and happy emotions. We have a Yin and Yang thing going on."

"Kyuubi? Isn't that the Demon God you were talking to that old demon bastard about?" Kotaro was the one to notice.

"Haven't I told you?"

Setsuna and Kotaro shook their heads. So, Naruto gave them the very short version: "I had the Kyuubi sealed inside me at birth. I got a lot of pure power from it, but it made me an outcast in my youth. Kind of like you two."

Setsuna blinked. "I see."

"Is that what you meant in Kyoto?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Does that mean you're strong?" Kotaro asked.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but you already knew that."

"Geez Kotaro, is fighting all you think about?" Negi asked.

He shrugged and grinned in response.

Naruto opened his mouth to give his opinion when he was interrupted by Zero. "Don't be too hard on him Master, he's just a dog."

"Hey. All you think about violence too. Except your version has way more blood."

Zero gave a shy giggle, knowing she had been pegged completely.

Naruto opened his mouth again, this time to ask if she just called him Master when he spotted something. A girl in a beige coat was falling from the roof of a nearby building. Instantly, he rushed to catch her, the others following him with their eyes, confused.

She landed easily in his arms, though the force of the landing knocked back the hood that had been hiding for face.

"Chao?"

"Nii-er-Naruto-kun?" She seemed as shocked as he was. She almost instantly composed herself though. "I'm being chased by evil mages, will you help me?"

"Wha! Mages?" Negi asked.

Instantly, Naruto's formally grinning face became serious. "Sure thing," he told her. He turned to the other three. "Let's go," he ordered, jumping away so fast he became a blur.

"Sweet! A fight!" Kotaro called as he chased after him.

"What's going on?" Negi asked the only one that was left, Setsuna.

"I don't know, but I suggest we catch up to find out. Or would you rather risk Chao-san getting hurt?"

That harsh reminder was enough to get Negi moving. Setsuna was momentarily stunned at the display of sudden speed he deployed, before she too rushed to catch up.

It didn't take too long for the four of them to meet up, jumping from surface to surface, including buildings, rails and even food stalls, all at speeds that defied normal human eyes.

Even moving so quickly and carrying someone, Setsuna got the distinct impression Naruto-sensei was annoyed at how slow they were moving.

During a particularly long leap high in to the air, they finally got a glimpse of their pursuers. It was a group of seven people in black clothes and cloaks, which seemed near ethereal to Naruto. Each wore a bone white mask with a different shape and pattern.

"What are they?" Kotaro asked. "Can we fight them?" he asked hopefully.

"What's going on?" Negi enquired.

"Like I said, I'm being chased by evil Mage's. Please Negi-sensei, help me?"

"Setsuna!" Naruto yelled, catching her attention. In front of the group rose three more of the enemies. They rose from the stone rooftop like wraiths.

Instantly the swordswoman sped forward, spinning her still sheathed blade and knocking the attackers away, allowing Naruto safe passage.

When they landed, Naruto instantly noticed that they were fast becoming surrounded.

"These come from Western Mage's!" Negi informed them.

"They're like my Inugami, so it's alright to kill them."

"Really? Rip them to shreds Naruto-sama!"

Naruto nodded his head at that and placed Chao on the ground. "Stay down," he told her, pushing her head low to the ground to reinforce his point.

The creatures closed in quickly, and Kotaro and Setsuna were equally quick to attack, punching and slashing them, while Negi began preparing a spell.

Naruto waited a moment longer, until they were in close, allowing him to duck underneath one as it swiped at him, directing its fist and throwing the creature off balance.

As he touched the things arm, he could sense that it wasn't quite real. It was solid, but had a feathery, light feel that made Naruto think of it as nothing more than animated silk, if that.

With the creature off balance, it was easy enough to punch it back and into one of its companions. Jumping up, he landed a quick heel drop, causing them to dissipate like smoke.

Meanwhile, Negi had finished his incantation and sent 17 arrows of Light towards a second wave, which tore through them and exploded, simulating fireworks.

Naruto was silently impressed with Negi for remembering to keep a low profile; Naruto had forgotten all about that and was just lucky he hadn't done anything attention grabbing yet.

Suddenly a third wave appeared, this time rising from the floor. Naruto instantly spotted three of them, one behind each of his companion, and by the look on Setsuna's face as she looked his way, their was probably one behind him as well.

None of these were of concern to him though; he was more worried about the two that had appeared either side of Chao. He instinctively brought his hands together to create Kage Bunshin; his real self raced forward to Chao, his clone speeding off to take care of the enemy behind Setsuna as she came at equal speed to slash through the one behind him. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Kotaro and Negi doing the same.

The real him jumped into the air, twisting so that when he passed between the two looming over Chao his head was towards one and his feet the other. Simultaneously, he kicked and punched, knocking both back. He landed in a crouch and sprang forward; he delivered a drop kick to one, and using it as a springboard, he punched the other. Both disappeared in wisps of smoke.

That was the last of them. As soon as it was clear, Setsuna grabbed Chao and set off again, looking for a safe place to hide and plan.

"Hehehehehe," Zero giggled madly. "That was awesome!"

"Yeah, it _was_ pretty cool. How many did you get?" Kotaro asked.

"Erm, 8."

"6." Setsuna gave a succinct response. She didn't care about showing off her kill count, but counting the number of already defeated enemies is also useful. Kotaro probably unconsciously picked up the habit on previous missions and began to ask because of his competitive nature, while his previous companions answered for the same reason as Setsuna.

"I got the same. You Aniki?"

"Only 5."

"Ha, the so called strongest got the fewest kills."

"Shut it Dog boy!" Zero was quick to defend him as Setsuna ducked in between two buildings and the boys followed her.

"Thanks, you really saved me," Chao told them.

"We're not out of the woods yet," Setsuna was quick to correct. "We still have to deal with the person who summoned these golems."

"Naruto-sama will annihilate them!"

"I'm not going to kill anyone," he sighed.

"Oww," the puppet pouted.

"I was really surprised though; to think the rest of you would be this strong without the aid of technology. To even be able to disguise magic as fireworks; as expected of a prodigy like Negi-sensei," she grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

"Nah, I still need practice," he modestly replied. "You seem to know a lot about magic."

"Well, sort of-ne."

"Never mind that for now. Who was chasing you?" Setsuna asked. "Are there really evil mage's inside the school?"

"Well, about that…" she started grin an uneasy grin, scratching the back of her head.

"That can wait for now, it seems they've found us."

"There are 4 of them," Kotaro continued.

"Really, you can tell that?" Naruto asked.

"Yep. I can also tell that they have us almost surrounded us. They are 50-80-70-100 distance wise. One's on the roof. Why, can't you?"

Naruto mutely shook his head. With so many people and no way for him to detect magic, he had no idea.

"This isn't good. If I get caught, they'll erase my memory."

"What? Your memory? Like Hell!"

"Right! We shouldn't let that happen!"

"You got a plan?"

"In this situation, the first to attack has an advantage. We'll quickly finish them within the crowd; Setsuna, go up top, Nii-san go far," Negi ordered.

"Heh, not a bad strategy, especially for an amateur."

"It's a good strategy for anyone. Great work Negi."

"Thanks Naruto-nii-san."

"It'll be bad if they call for reinforcement," Chamo noted, a spell crest appearing in the air in front of him. _"Ermine Magic, Interfario._ There, now they shouldn't be able to talk to each other. GO!"

At once, Setsuna back flipped away, Negi, Kotaro and Naruto speeding in different directions.

"Zero-chan, I'm trusting you to be my magic sensor. Point me to my enemy."

"And you'll crush them?"

"If necessary. Can you do it?"

"Yes."

"Then do it."

"By your command," she told him in absolute seriousness. He was putting his trust in her, and she refused to let him down.

She scanned the crowd; it wasn't her forte, which lay in combat, but she was originally built for support before being moved to her current combat role. Her skills were rusty, but more than enough for these insects.

"There!" she yelled, pointing towards a blonde high school girl. In one hand she held a sceptre, most likely her wand, and she was flanked by two of the golem like enemies. There was a large amount of magical energy being emitted from her, and a faint taste of delicious violence in the air.

Naruto didn't hesitate as he rushed toward his enemy. Unmindful of the crowd, he darted between the people and charged a weakened version of the Rasengan in each hand.

He still hadn't mastered creating a fully formed Rasengan one handed, although he no longer needed a clone to do it. It was just faster that way.

His head ducked low and moving to fast for her to follow, he tackled her onto the ground, hitting both her guards with the Rasengans and destroying them. He ended up straddling her, quickly knocking way her sceptre and the spare wand she pulled out, before grabbing both her arms and restricting movement. Then he got his first good look at her. "Takane?"

Negi took a different approach; '_Cantus Bellax'_ he activated his battle hymn and, as soon as he was close, jumped into the air and used a nearby lamppost to redirect himself towards his attacker, a huge man wearing sunglasses and with a bald head.

He twisted in the air and incanted in his head and thrusted his hand towards the man. _'Flans Exparmatio!'_ It blew the gun out of his hands, and Negi quickly ducked under the punch the gigantic man threw, and pointed his wand at his chin.

It was only then that he realised that this person was one of the teachers that was at the meeting around the World Tree.

Kotaro simply snuck around behind his opponent and surprised her. The red headed girl didn't even sense him until he had already struck. She tried to twist around, but before she could do anything, her arm was grabbed and she was flipped over and onto her back.

He frowned at her when he realized it was a girl not too much older than he; he hated violence against women.

Setsuna landed on the roof crouched low, and wasted no time in rushing the attacker. She however noticed that her opponent was a teacher before she was anywhere near him, and both stopped short.

Naruto slowly released his hold on Takane's arms and sat up. He didn't get off of her though.

"What's going on?" he yelled, something that he have sworn he heard from several places behind him, and even from the girl in front of him.

"I was protecting someone from Mage's, and it seems you were the attacker."

"I was trying to capture a dangerous element. Now will you please get off me?"

"Not yet." He told her on impulse, before realizing he had no reason to keep her down, and it would actually be better to take her to the others. He was about to say as such when she spoke first.

"Ah, Naruto-kun," Takane wriggled beneath him, a huge blush on her face. "I know you might want to conclude our unfinished business, but not here and not now!"

Naruto gave her a confused look and mouthed '_unfinished business'_ to himself.

Last time he saw her was the first time he met her, at least to his recollection. As far as he remembered, that business was finished.

Zero's eyes flashed. "Kill her! Now!"

Naruto stood up and bopped the puppet on the head. "There will be no killing," he told her. She held onto her head painfully and her eyes widened, increasing her cuteness factor tenfold.

Naruto held out his hand, which she took, and pulled Takane up and to her feet.

"C'mon, let's go meet up with the others," he began to pull her towards his friends.

Takane and Zero stared at their enjoined hands, the former happily and the latter with a glare.

When he arrived he found Setsuna speaking with Gandolfini, Negi listening intently while Kotaro stood next to Mei and looked on in a bored expression, while Mei fretted. The large, bald man was gone. Chamo was the only one to spot his approach and give him a thumbs up and a grin.

"I would like to know why you felt the need to defend this problem student," Gandolfini gestured to Chao, who stood just behind Negi.

"Do we need a reason to protect our students?" Naruto made himself known.

"Well, I suppose not. But Chao Linshen has been causing us quite some trouble. She knows about magic, and as you know that can't be allowed."

"Sorry, but I think you've mistaken me for someone who cares about that. Chao is-"

"Naruto-nii, calm down. Please, Chao-san is in my homeroom and so we helped her, as a teacher should. If there is a problem, explain the situation to me properly."

Gandolfini sighed. "Well, I'm at least glad it's you; for a moment there I was worried a Mage had snuck onto the campus." He shook his head to clear those thoughts. "Back to the matter at hand; you haven't been told anything about Chao Linshen?"

"No, should I have?"

"Then I'll have to ask you to defer to us in this situation. Please come with us Chao Linshen."

"Why should she?" Naruto demanded. "What are you going to do with her?"

From beside him Takane spoke. For the first time Naruto noticed their hands were still linked together.

"Normal people that find out about Mage's have their memories erased. It is as simple as that; it is as much for our safety as it is for theirs."

"You're going to erase her memory? But so suddenly?" Negi exclaimed.

"Actually Chao-kun is already on her third warning. You know this Negi-sensei, in order for us Mages to peacefully co-exist with normal people; our existence _must_ be kept secret. Its best they never learn about us."

"I know that! But-"

"Negi! You agree with this?"

"Yes! I mean no! I mean, I might have tried to do it to Asuna-san when she first found out, but I don't agree with _this_."

"For our own reasons, we've allowed Chao-kun to know quite a bit, but there is no reason to tell her everything. This time we found out that she deployed a mechanical device to spy on our meeting." He turned to address Chao, who was still partially hidden behind Negi. "Even ordinary students would be punished for breaking the rules. This is the _third_ time you have defied us, correct?"

"Umm, y-yes," she replied in a small voice.

"Then you should know that by ignoring our orders, you deserve to be punished. Correct?"

"I-I guess?"

Naruto grit his teeth. "I won't allow it!" he forcefully disentangled his hand from the blond mage beside him and took a step forward.

"You have no authority here. She is regarded as a problem student for a reason. She's even been known to conspire with the criminal Evangeline – she isn't someone we can just let wander freely."

"Who cares about Eva-chan! She's been here, helping out even longer than you!"

"That's right! There's no reason to bring mummy into this!"

"You live with her; you must know at least a little about her past." The man growled in frustration. "Evangeline-san isn't what we should be talking about. The fact of the matter is you can't stop us from doing what needs to be done."

"The hell I can't!" Naruto began to gather chakra and prepare for a fight.

"Naruto-nii, calm down," Negi once again told him. "While it is true Naruto-nii has no authority, _I do_. Chao-san is _my_ student, and you have no authority over her, or any other member of 3-A for that matter. I will _not_ stand idly by as you pass judgement on her as a criminal. Chao-san is my student, and you will defer to me!"

Looking at the resolute Negi, Naruto ready to pounce and the two other students behind them, both looking ready to move if needed, Gandolfini relented. Negi was correct anyway; when it came to his students, Negi had more say than he. "Then I suppose I'll have to trust you. But, please, be careful. If anything were to happen now, you will be the one held most responsible; you'll probably be turned into an ermine. I'll leave it to you." He gave one last glance at Naruto. "I hope you'll come to understand our reasoning one day, and realize that this is what needs to be done."

Naruto watched him leave with a glare.

"Naruto-kun. I too hope you'll learn to understand. Call me," Takane told him as she and Mei followed.

"Thanks Negi-bozu, you really saved me! I owe you."

"It nothing; you're one of my students after all. But what is it that you've done to have them treat you like that?"

"Hoo, that's a secret-ne."

"You do know they'll hold me responsible for anything you do now, right?"

"By the way Negi-bozu," she ignored him, "you have your own problems, right? I can solve it for you. In order to pay you back, the science of Chao Lingshen is at your command!"

"I don't really…"

"Ask me anything! Any problem you need help with?"

"Well, there is my schedule…"

"Done! Here, take this," she reached into her coat and pulled out a large golden pocket watch. "This'll take care of all your problems!" she passed it to him.

"What is it?"

"You'll just have to figure it out yourself-ne!"

She began to run off.

"Chao!" Naruto called. She stopped and turned on her heel. "Keep out of trouble if you can, but if you can't, I expect you to call me."

Her smile slipped a little. "If I can!" she called again, before disappearing into the crowd.

"What do you think this is?" Negi asked, flashing them the watch.

"No clue."

Naruto frowned. There was something bugging him. "Do I know Takane? I feel as though we've met before, and she keeps saying things that make me think we've met more than one time a few days ago."

Setsuna and the two boys shook their heads; they didn't know her. On the other hand, Chamo gave him a chill inducingly perverse grin. "Don't you remember?"

"When?"

The grin grew. "When we went to the bar?"

Naruto placed his hand on hiss chin as he thought back. The night was more or less a blank from his second drink to when Negi snapped him out of it. He shook his head.

The grin grew to an impossible length. "Heh heh heh, do you really want to know?"

"Yes you little rat!"

"Why don't you ask Zero-san? She knows."

He turned his eyes upward to the puppet. "Do you know where I met her before?"

"That doesn't matter! You don't need to remember her!"

"Zero-chan, tell me."

"I don't wanna," she sulked.

"Please?" he begged.

Zero squirmed on his head. "Chamo told me when he visited," she reluctantly began. "He said you met up with a blonde slag and started necking her because you were off your tits. He said you even copped a feel of her arse and would've gone further if you weren't interrupted. Apparently you're horny when you're sloshed."

Silence, and then, "What do you just say?"

"I'm not repeating it."

Naruto looked at his companions; Setsuna and Negi had a faint tinge of pink in their cheeks, and refused to meet his gaze. Kotaro just looked mildly uncomfortable.

"That was nonsense. I didn't understand a word."

"Not my fault."

"Of course it was! You're an English woman aren't you; you should speak like a lady."

Suddenly Naruto felt very sharp metal at his neck. He stiffened in response.

"I. Am. Not. English. I'm British, or more accurately, I'm Scottish. Don't make that mistake again. Is that clear?" she asked sharply, digging the knife in a little.

Naruto nodded. "Got it, you're Scottish."

"Good," she cheered, removing the knife which disappeared into her shirt.

"I thought you couldn't move?"

"I can if someone calls me English!"

"Right. Now, are you going to tell me what any of that meant before? All I got was something about her ass."

"Not telling."

"Chamo?" he looked to his friends, but they were already gone.

"Ha, they've scarpered!"

"Seriously, stop that."

"Nope!" Zero sang.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

"Maybe."

* * *

"He reacted with more anger than expected."

"Yeah he did-ne. I expected him to act more mature."

"This could work in our favour though."

"Well, he was, or should I say is the most Unpredictable Ninja. Wait, what?"

"I said that this could work in our favour. It seems he disagrees with the memory erasure punishment. We could use that to win him over."

"I doubt it-ne. But yes, we should try. I'll talk to him when the time is right and it will be too late even if he does say no."

"And you've prepared a trap."

"More or less. I just need to add the finishing touches."

"Are you sure it will work?"

"I quickly surpassed my teacher in these arts."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Yes. Yes it does-ne."

* * *

"Come on Chibi-chan," Naruto shook the seated blonde. Eva was sat on the couch, quietly reading her book and unfalteringly ignoring the persistent shinobi who was slowly shaking her back and forth. "The pre-festival night Gala is going to be starting soon. Don't you want to go see it?"

"No."

"Why not?" he whined.

"Because it's boring. It was boring the first time I saw it, 15 years ago, it was boring the second time 14 years ago, and the third, and the forth; it'll be boring this time too." She said this all without a change in tone or inflection.

"Please?" he begged. "For me?"

Finally she turned to face him. "If you want to go, why don't you just go?"

"Because, I want you to go with me."

"Why?"

"Why wouldn't I want you to come with me? You're one of my precious people, and I like spending to with you. It's as simple as that."

Eva blushed. "F-fine, if it's that important to you. But you owe me," she jumped onto her feet and thrust her finger at his face, pressing his nose.

"Great! I'll grab Zero-chan and we can go; we're supposed to be meeting up with the rest of 3-A soon, so we better hurry."

Eva growled as Naruto darted out the room to get Zero who was resting in Naruto's room. "One day you're going to take me somewhere nice, just the two of us." As soon as the words left her mouth, she quickly shut her mouth with a click.

"Sure thing! Just name the time and place!" Naruto called back.

"W-what?"

Naruto returned to the room. "If you want to go anywhere with me, all you have to do is ask."

"Like I want to go anywhere with you! I'm only going to this Gala because I like the idea of having something over you."

Naruto stopped to consider this a moment, before shrugging. "I don't really care. C'mon." he grabbed her arm and began to drag her out the door.

Chachamaru had left hours earlier and Naruto hoped they would meet up later on.

"Master, where are we going?" Zero rubbed her eyes as she awoke, already in her favourite spot.

"This bone head is dragging us to the Gala."

"There'll be fireworks," the blond added.

"Fireworks?"

"Yep. Huge explosions in the sky."

"Yay! We're going to see the fireworks!"

Eva looked the duo up and down. "One day you're going to tell me how you purified my psychotic doll and got her to act like a sweet and excitable little girl."

"What are you talking about Chibi-chan?"

"Yeah mummy, what do you mean?"

Both gave her a confused look

Eva simply huffed in exasperation. "Let's just go."

"Yay/Alright!"

It didn't take long for them to find the rest of 3-A – a group of over two dozen middle school girls and their teacher was rather hard to miss.

"Hey!" he called

"Naruto-sensei! You came!"

"Of course I did. Now, what's first?"

"Food!"

"Games!"

"Now now," Ayaka stopped them. "You know it is the fireworks first, and then we'll go play."

As they made their way towards a high spot that would give them a great view, Naruto turned his attention to Eva. "Erm, can I ask you for something?"

"Ohoho, you want something? Remember, I am an evil Mage. Favours from me cost blood."

"I was just going to ask you for a translation. Zero-chan started speaking in slang before, and I couldn't understand a word."

"Really now, you did, did you?" Eva glanced towards the puppet, who kept her eyes averted. "What did she say?"

"Erm, that I get horny when sloshed?"

Eva choked, and then gave him an incredulous stare. "What else did she say?"

"That I was necking a slag? And then something about copping a feel?"

Eva grew quiet. "I see. I take it you were so drunk you can't remember what you did?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

Then Eva twisted around to punch him in the stomach, causing him to double-over.

"Oi, what was that for?"

"I felt like it. I don't need any other reason. See you later Naruto." With that she disappeared into the crowd.

"Hehe, mummy got you good."

"Yeah, but why? What did I do?"

"Che, dumb blonds."

"Oi!" Naruto began to move forward once again.

They eventually arrived in a large open space, giving them a lovely view of the World Tree.

"Oh well, it doesn't matter right now."

"Good."

At this moment the Tree began to glow, and the fireworks began to fire. "For an evil tree, it sure is pretty."

"Evil?" Ako asked from beside him as they observed the view.

"Not important," he sighed. "Well, looks like the festival has begun. I hope its fun."

The surrounding girls nodded their heads at this. It was the festival, and they had been looking forward to it for over a month.

Then Naruto grinned. "Negi!" he called, causing the 10 year to turn away from the fireworks that had been delighting him so. "I'm going to teach you some games!"

"Hai!" the boy grinned back.

Naruto quickly began to run, Negi not far behind.

"Hey! Sensei!" Makie was quick to follow, Sakurako not far behind. It didn't take the others long to follow.

Naruto led the girls to the nearest booth, laughing all the way.

* * *

Omake: Meet The Wife, Part 3.

Minato sat at the table as Arika brought the two men tea and sat beside her husband, who was slouching in his seat. Minato was sat on the opposite side of the table.

"Namikaze-san, Nagi tells me you and he had a brief battle. Who won?"

"I believe it was my loss. Nagi-san is quite powerful."

"Don't sell yourself so short Minato! It was a draw."

Arika raised one eyebrow in mild curiosity. Her husband was one to boast his own strength; the fact that he was praising someone else spoke highly of his ability.

"Was it really a draw?"

"Yeah it was! He out paced me completely."

"That is quite some praise from the Invincible Thousand Master. Do you really think he is your equal?"

"I wouldn't go that far! I would gladly have him in the Ala Rubra though."

"Mighty praise indeed. May I ask where you come from?"

"Konoha. Well, the full name is Konohagakure no Sato. Have you heard of it?"

Arika shook her head. "I'm afraid I have not. That means The Village Hidden in the Leaves, correct? Such an unusual name. Is there some meaning behind it?"

"Yes. My village is located in a dense forest. The first Hokage grew all of the trees around the land and made it green again. It wasn't really hidden though," he added. "That part is just a name."

"Green _again_?"

"Yes. It was a very war torn land before Hashirama managed to unite the Uchiha and the Senju. After that he and his brother rejuvenated the land."

"They sound powerful."

"Yes, they were. Where do you come from?"

"A now defunct kingdom known as Ostia. Have you heard of it?"

"No, never. How'd it end?"

"That doesn't matter now," Arika replied somewhat uncomfortably.

Minato, noticing this, didn't press the issue.

"I heard you don't know the way home?"

"Yeah, I'm clueless."

"Well, since Nagi has offered you our help, we will do our best to get you home!"

"Thank you. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Nagi grinned.

"Excuse me for a moment," Arika stood up and left.

"So, so, what do you think? Isn't she amazing?" Nagi gushed.

"Yeah, I guess. She does seem like a lovely woman. Is she nobility?"

"Yep. A Queen, or at least she was. She got framed for genocide and was sentenced to be executed." Nagi snorted. "Like I was going to let that happen. We allowed the proceedings to get to a certain point before we interfered. Allow the people to think she was dead; that way there would be less people to come after her."

"You mean you're fugitives?"

"You could say that, but only to the Magistrate. No one else cares. It does mean Arika doesn't get out much, so your visit has really made her happy."

"She you really be telling me this?"

"I trust you."

"Er, thanks."

"Na-giii! What are you telling him?" the Queen returned.

"Only that you're happy he's here. It's been awhile since you've met someone new."

Arika's face coloured ever so slightly. "That may be true, but there are some things you don't say out loud."

"I understand. Ooh," he sat suddenly sat up straighter. "I'm going to call Jack. He'd love to meet you. I'll be back in a minute," he told them.

"Nagi, wait," his wife tried to stop him, but she was ignored.

"Hey honey, Minato here is the leader of his village. You two should talk about leader stuff."

With that Nagi was gone, leaving the two in an uncomfortable silence, Arika glaring at the door her husband had left from.

"So, Nagi-san tells me you were a Queen?

"NAGI!"

* * *

A/N: Let's see let's see. A couple of things.

First of all, in my profile in the section dealing with this story is a link to a picture of Eva and Naruto from the Pranks and the Beach chapter. Please comment. I didn't draw it, but I did request it. I think he did a great job, so thanks PandaDude17.

Next up, I'm thinking of going back and updating my past chapters. As you know, Naruto here is set after most of the war is already over, and I was intending to allow for certain things that were happening concurrent to the Naruto manga. Then I got blind sided by Kushina. I want to know if you think this is a good idea. It wont affect the story much, but I've been thinking about it. What do you guys think?

Abilities used:_ Ermine Magic, Interfario - _Chamo has the abilty to interfere and disable telepathy, a common mage trick.

I'm pretty sure you know Cantus Ballax and Flans Exparmatio, the battle hymn and the disarming spell. Or the stripping spell as Negi likes to utilse it as.

Someone did manage to guess Naruto's remaining wind Jutsu, but so far no one has gotten the water one.

Zero- When I wrote the 'By your command' line for Zero, I was playing with BattleStar Galactica as I'm sure some of you guessed. Later, I was going to remove it as it felt a little clunky. Then I realised that the Cylons and Zero is actually a good comparison- both are creations that have acheived sentience and a will of their own, and on at least some level, rebelled against their makers. Cylons are self explanitory, and Zero because she has slowly begun to swear her loyalty to Naruto rather than her mummy, though she still loves her. A product of my sub-conscious or coincidence? Probably the latter.

The slang Zero uses - it is modern(ish) british slang, so Zero shouldn't technically know it, but I don't care. She got it from T.V if I'm asked. I'm not going to explain it, though I imagine most of you understand it anyway.

Recent manga chapters - Minato is amazing, Kushina is awesome, Zazie is confusing and Arika is too cute for her own good.

In other news, I really do need a Beta. Any volunteers? You'll need to be well versed in both Naruto and Negima canon, good spelling and able to tell me if you think my characters are too OOC.

I hope you'll enjoy this, my longest chapter yet with over 23,000 words. Next is the festival proper. That'll be confusing.


	22. Festival: Day 1 Begins

Naruto stared at the clear blue sky as planes streaked across, leaving trails of clouds in the air. The whole of Mahora was buzzing with voices, cheers, the sound of running feet and laughing children. People were everywhere Naruto looked; hundreds of them, all from a vast array of ages. The majority were teenagers or pre-teens, as befitting of a campus, but there was no shortage of adults; the family of students or just people coming to visit the great festival, that if Yue was to be believed, had morphed into a world wide event.

She had spent quite some time last night explaining to the two just how big the festival was going to be and some of the things to expect. Like how a vast majority of people may wear costumes for fun, or that millions of yen regularly exchanged hands nearly every festival.

With wide eyes, both he and Negi watched the parade; horses, elephants, giraffes, blob monsters, giant balloons floating in the sky, all accompanied by costumed men and women putting on a show. Naruto neither knew nor cared which animals were real or fake, though he suspected the giant lizard (a dinosaur) wasn't real . The stamp on one of its hind legs proclaiming 'Engineering Dept.' was a dead give away.

"_This is it! The 78__th__ Annual Mahora Festival Starts Now!"_ a voice announced over the hum of people.

"So, where are we going first?" Naruto asked, shaking in his excitement. Negi wasn't much better; his jaw hadn't left the ground as he tried to take everything in.

While Negi was wearing his usual green suit, Naruto had put on a black t-shirt, a dull, almost red-orange jacket, and light blue pants.

The girls had already split off to do their own thing, most importantly the Haunted House that 3-A had spent the last two weeks working on.

"The Haunted House," Negi answered. "We should see the fruits of the girls' labour," he elaborated.

"That sounds like a good id-" Chamo began, before he was cut short as his perch began to fall from beneath him. Negi, said perch, had begun to tip over.

Naruto extended a hand to steady the boy, stopping him from falling over. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

Both boys had been up all night touring the Gala, eating their fill and playing the games. The girls had gone to bed at around three, but Naruto and Negi had continued on without sleep.

Naruto, with his high stamina had barely noticed, while Negi had continued on regardless of his fatigue in an attempt to keep up with the older blond.

"You sure?"

"Yes," Negi affirmed.

Naruto gave him a dubious look, but eventually nodded. With a brief reassuring pat on the shoulder, they were off towards 3-A's classroom.

Before the two had even managed to get to the stairs, they found the corridors crowded by people, all lining up in a think line along one wall.

"I wonder what the lines for?" Negi asked.

"You don't think it could be the Haunted House do you?"

"Maybe."

As they turned onto the corridor where their class was located, Naruto's suspicion was instantly proven correct. The line ended just short of a desk nearby the class room.

It didn't take long for the girls to take note of them and usher them closer.

"Negi-kun! Naruto-sensei." Yuna, Makie and Sakurako greeted.

The rest of the girls soon followed. All were in rather elaborate costumes; Yuna in her tight red cat outfit, Makie in a black yukata and Sakurako was in a very risqué outfit; it was black in colour, covering only her torso and groin. Her arms were covered by black gloves that ended just before her shoulders; everything she wore had the top edge covered in white fur similar to Yuna. Her legs and shoulders and even hips were completely bare, apart from her black slippers. To finish the outfit off, she wore a pair of bat ears and a snake hairclip, as well as a set of fangs in her mouth that made her more cute than scary.

In contrast to Yuna and Sakurako, Akira and Ayaka were in rather conservative outfits; the former wearing a uniform similar appearance to Sayo, a black sailor uniform, and the latter wearing an off white, flowing dress.

Only three other people were out in the entrance; Fuuka, wearing a long hooded robe and holding a giant leaf over her head; Haruna, who was wearing a black robe that extended to her feet, and a hat which showed a white bat on the front.

The last person caused Naruto and Negi to blink in confusion. With a large smile on her whiskered face, a very voluptuous, very female Naruto look-a-like greeted them cheerily. "Boss, Negi-kun." Every word she spoke was filled to the brim with energy; a perfect fit for this class.

Negi glanced back and forth between the two, on one side the beaming blonde girl teenager, on the other, Naruto, who stood cradling his face in his hand as he tried to think this through.

He had made approximately one hundred clones at dawn, and scattered them around campus. He had made sure that at least one clone would be at every major 3-A event, while the rest patrolled or otherwise played. Around 50 of them had gone so far as to openly squabble over who got to go where, in broad day light; they were lucky people had thought of them as an elaborate trick. This one had apparently decided the Haunted House was going to be fun and came to play, despite knowing another Naruto was going to be there. His solution was obvious.

"Who is this?" Negi finally asked. He could tell it was Naruto, but he could also tell that this girl was, well, very much a girl. More so than most of the class, in fact.

"One of my Kage Bunshin must have gotten it into its head to play as Naruko for awhile," he explained in a whisper, torn somewhere between amusement and exasperation.

"Naruko?" Negi mouthed.

"I'll explain later," he told the boy. "Having fun?" he turned to Naruko.

"Yep," she positively exuded happiness as she bounced up and down, causing two pieces of her anatomy she didn't have as a boy to bounce with her. She was wearing a kimono that looked two sizes to small, barely covering her assets, and the kimono was cut short just below her ass, conforming tightly to her posterior. The outfit was mainly orange in colour, meant to attract attention rather than scare anyone.

Her eyes were bright and her hair was loose and long, down to her thighs; both were the same shade as Naruto's.

The other girls were giving her jealous glances as she spoke to the boys.

"Naruko tells us you sent her here Naruto-sensei," Ayaka started in clipped tones. "She said she is an underling of yours, and you told her she could help if she wanted?"

Naruto glanced at his clone, who was giving him the cutest, most pleading expression she could muster. Naruto would have been creeped out that his clone could do that to him, but the cuteness was too strong. He turned back to the class president and nodded. "Yeah; I hope you don't mind?"

"Not really. She is really good at bringing people in, men and women alike," the blonde girl told them, glancing at Naruko as she escorted a blushing young girl into the Haunted House. "I can understand why the men are coming in droves, but not why she seems to attract girls like moths to a flame."

"Naruko likes to tease people," Naruto began, all the 3-A girls in the area intently listening in. "Especially when it comes to showing off some skin." _'After all, it's not really her skin.'_

Ayaka's face morphed into one of mild distaste. "So she likes showing off?"

"No, not really. She just likes to see peoples' reactions."

"What's your relationship with her?" Yuna asked.

"Yeah; she called you Boss," Fuuka pointed out.

"You could say she is someone I used to work with; she'll do me the occasional favour, but mainly she just does what she wants," Naruto quickly lied.

"Have you ever seen her naked," Sakurako asked.

"What does that matter?" Naruto reacted a little too quickly.

"You have!" Yuna accused. "Just how far have you gone?"

Of course he'd seen her naked; he designed the body after all. "How far with what?"

"Like, have you two done _it_ yet?" Yuna continued.

"Done what?"

"You know, _it_! Sex!" Sakurako cut in with an angry pout.

Naruto recoiled in horror at the thought of doing something like that with any of his clones. Fighting back a wave of nausea, he answered, "No! I've never even thought about it before."

"Really, not once? I wonder if she has?"

"No," Naruto repeated. "And she hasn't either!" he snapped.

"How do you know?" Yuna asked.

"She likes girls!"

The girls and Negi blinked. "As in, _like_ like?" Sakurako asked.

"Er, yeah," Naruto answered slowly. He'd just made the answer up on the spot, but it seemed to be working. Anything to end this sick line of questioning.

At this moment Naruko reappeared from inside the Haunted House; the girl she had escorted in earlier was blushing madly as she clutched onto the whiskered blonde with all her strength.

While every blond in the area, and Negi, recognised it as a defence mechanism, tightly holding onto someone stronger for protection, the other girls had different ideas.

The way the younger girl was a little too relaxed as she embraced the older blonde, the blush on her face didn't quite look like it was caused by fear, but something else entirely; the way the younger girls face seemed content to revel in the experience – all spoke a different tune.

The way Naruko seemed to be blushing, embarrassed at the contact yet still pleased with it seemed to confirm Naruto's words.

Several girls released a sigh of relief, letting the matter drop.

Sensing this, Naruto spoke. "Want to try the Haunted House out Negi?"

Negi, who had been silently confused the entire conversation, was surprised at being suddenly addressed. "Ah, erm, what?"

"That's a great idea!" Yuna encouraged.

"Are you sure? It could be scary," Makie pointed out. "And then he'd hold o-n t-o y-o-u… It's a great idea!"

Both boys were escorted to the doors. There was some complaining about cuts, but a smiling Sakurako explaining that the two boys were teachers apparently went a long way in convincing people.

There were three doors; on the left was Ayaka, who scrambled there to present herself properly. In the middle was Makie, who did the same. Finally, on the left was Akira, who calmly walked to her assigned door.

"Every guest has a girl to accompany them. It's 500 yen touch," the bat eared girl told them with a wink.

"This is one of those perverted ideas this class came up with before, isn't it!" both boys shouted.

"No, no; just take a look and see for yourself. Look, there are three doors, each with different stats. Go on," she encouraged.

"Al-alright. I'll take the least scary one then please," Negi told them.

Naruto ushered him forward toward the doors.

Negi looked at each door in turn. On the right was Gothic Horror, the least scary (1) according to the sign, the highest cute factor (3), and the lowest love factor (1).

The middle door was a Japanese Ghost Story, and had statistics down the middle. Fear factor 2, cute 1 star, and love love factor 2 stars.

Finally there was the left door, which led to School Curses, which had the highest fear factor (3), no cuteness, and the highest love love rating (3).

Negi saw none of this though; instead he looked into each of his students eyes; Ayaka was staring so intently it made him nervous; Makie was practically drooling and Akira was normal.

His choice was simple as he chose the girl that didn't fill him with a certain type of dread.

His choice caused the other two girls to face fault, their hopes dashed.

Negi disappeared through the door, reassuring Akira that there was a difference between scary and _really_ scary.

"We should wait until Negi-kun is done before going on. Which one do you want?" Shiina asked.

"I'll take the far right, though if Negi asks, I took the same as him," Naruto told her, one finger placed over his lips as gave her a wink.

She could feel her face heating up at his cute expression. She quickly turned her head away. "When is the auction?"

Naruto's face fell. "It's at 1pm."

"I'll be there," she winked.

"Please don't. By the way, whose idea was it to sign us up against our will? I'd love to tell them what I think."

Shiina gulped. "It doesn't matter," he told her. "I'm already pretty sure I know at least one person who is directly involved."

"Who?"

"Haruna. As far as I know, she's the only one in the class who can forge signatures so well."

"I refuse to name names," she told him.

Naruto smiled at her. "You're loyal to your classmates. I really like that in a person," he grinned.

And there was that familiar burning sensation in her face as her face flushed. "Erm, Naruto-sensei, do you, ah, do you want to, do you want t-" she began, before the sound of Negi's scream pierced the air, quickly followed by the sounds of Asuna shouting.

Naruto chuckled before turning his attention back to Sakurako. "What were you saying?"

"No, nothing," she stopped herself.

"Are you sure?"

Sakurako took a breath. "Will you accompany me around the festival tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure," he replied easily. "When?"

"After the concert," she suggested.

"Alright, see you then," he told her as he headed for Ayaka's door. She gave him a disgruntled look as they passed the threshold and into the Haunted House.

"I bet you wish I was Negi."

"Very much so, but lacking his delightful face, I suppose you'll have to do."

"Thank you!"

Ayaka gave him a despairing look.

"Before we get properly started, I wanted to ask you a favour."

"What can I do for you?"

"I don't know anything about bank accounts," he began, and I wanted you to help me sort mine out."

"How so?"

"Negi and Kotaro. I want you to grant them access to my account."

Her face screwed up in confusion. "Well, I can do that, but for what reason?"

"Because I don't care about my money, they'll probably need it more, and I have millions of yen that I don't know what to do with."

The class president's mouth worked, but no sounds came out. "Oh, and do you know any good charities for orphans. I want to make a million yen donation."

"Ka?" Ayaka managed to get out.

"Is there something wrong?"

"N-no, I just think I may have misjudged you a little."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Now, shall we go?"

"Yep, let's go."

The two began to walk along the corridor that they both had worked on making. It looked like the interior of an old English castle; the walls were covered in cob webs, and the whole area looked old. And then the first thing appeared. Eva was in her cloak and leotard, floating in the air.

Naruto's face screwed up in confusion; her powers should be sealed. Then he noticed the wires that held her up in the air.

She looked almost bored until she spotted who it was that approached. Then her face reddened in anger and embarrassment.

"They weren't kidding when they said it had a high cuteness factor."

"Shut up!"

"What are we going to do? The horrible vampire is coming to get us!" Ayaka cried out dramatically.

Eva twitched, but carried on regardless. "Foolish human. To wander into my castle spells death. I will enjoy drinking your virgin blood."

"Hey, I'm not a virgin. So ha! No blood for you."

Eva twitched again.

"I meant the girl you moron!"

"Oh," Naruto deadpanned, before shouting "Hey! What's wrong with my blood? Just because it isn't virgin..." he sulked.

Eva gave a low growl. Naruto grinned in response.

"Please save me!" Ayaka pleaded. Naruto turned his smile to her.

"Of course dear princess!" he swept the class president into his arms and ran, ducking under Eva, who dropped and began to chase them.

They quickly came across Kuu Fei, who looked incredibly cute in devil horn, and eventually Chao in a wolf mask and fur.

None of them looked scary in the least, and Naruto quickly barrelled through and out the door at the end.

He came to a skidding stop outside, where he found an agape Negi, Asuna, Setsuna and Konoka. Asuna and Setsuna were in matching white sailor uniforms, while Konoka was in a magicians robe and pointed hat, white to symbolise healing magic.

Ayaka was flushed red from the excitement, and then from embarrassment as she realised Naruto was now holding her bridal style in front of Negi-sensei and Asuna.

"Get off me!" she yelled, thrashing a little, but he ignored her.

Eva, Kuu and Chao had followed them out the door. He turned to them, then to her. "Looks that they still want to eat us! It must be because blondes are tasty; I know I would want a piece of you if I were them fair maiden! But don't worry, I wont let them get you! I would never let harm befall such a beauty! I would sooner die than allow them to lay a hand on you!" he began to run down the corridor. In response, Ayaka wrapped her arms around his neck in fear of being dropped.

Naruto continued to run, eventually jumping out an open window, down at least one storey; all the way down, Ayaka screamed.

He landed in a crouch and continued running, yelling "SWITCH!" once, but never stopping.

The people watched him go in both amusement and shock.

Negi, Naruko and Asuna sweat dropped at the display. "The Boss really likes to go all out at the most weird times," Naruko giggled.

"What the hell!"

"There was acting involved," Naruko explained. "He couldn't help but get into it, though I think he took it too far."

"But, you're his clone."

"So? He saw it as just having fun, but from the outside I see it as going too far. We are perfect copies, but it doesn't mean we stay perfect. I'm already 5 hours old; for a clone, that is a lot of time."

"Why did he yell switch?" Setsuna asked.

"He was telling a clone to take his place."

"I see. And who are you?"

* * *

Naruto began to circle back after running for a short time with Ayaka in his arms, making a big deal out of every costume he came across, and considering it was festival time, that was saying a lot.

It wasn't long before he dropped Ayaka off and she stomped away in a huff, and Naruto once again began to look around.

As he wandered, something caught his eye. Negi and Setsuna were walking around in white bunny suits, the former in a big full body costume, the latter in a skimpy outfit made of white fur; the bottoms may as well have been panties, the top left her midriff completely exposed, as well as her arms. She was wearing similar gloves to Yuna, and bunny ears. Around her neck was a bow-tie attached to the collar of the white top.

Naruto grinned as he crept up behind the two, and with a feral grin, whispered in both their ears: "The fox has found you."

They both jumped into the air and span to face him. They were very shocked to see him.

"So, care to explain how you got here, and changed, so fast and why?"

And then they did, starting from what happened after he ran off.

* * *

After Nii-san had dashed away, Negi, Asuna, Setsuna and Konoka waved their good byes and set off for the next place. But first Naruko had some final words of wisdom.

"Listen, Negi, we may not look like normal. Every clone probably took on their own unique appearance. Male, female, age 10 to 100, and every hair and eye colour under the sun, plus some that aren't; you'll probably never know one of us is there. The only ones that will look like Naruto are the ones that are at 3-A's club events."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"So that you'll know, if the Boss or a clone isn't with you, just call out, and one of us will be along shortly."

"Thank you for telling me." Negi nodded and then quickly caught up with the girls who had already left.

It didn't take long before a Naruto clone caught up with them. He arrived just in time to watch Negi collapse.

"Those guys will be raking it in," Konoka commented happily a few minutes earlier. "They're doing a great job."

"You think so?" Asuna asked.

Meanwhile, Negi spoke in quiet tones to Chamo. "If things keep up at this pace, this festival is going to kill me. Ah! I almost forgot. I've got to hurry!" he gasped.

"That's right, you've got a schedule to keep," Chamo reminded.

"Hoho," Asuna laughed, "you wouldn't want to miss your date with Honya-chan would you?" she asked him teasingly.

"Who said anything about a date?" Negi quickly denied.

* * *

"Oh yeah, your date. I still have to…" Naruto trailed off.

Negi was pouting at him.

"Ah, sorry," he scratched the back of his neck, "go on."

* * *

"But Negi-kun, it's only the first day. Is that fair to Nodoka-san?" Konoka asked, remembering that Yue had asked for it to be specifically the last day, on the shy girl's request.

"I know," he told her, "but I've spoken to Nodoka-san and explained to her how busy I am; she says today is fine."

"Oh well, I guess it can't be helped…" Konoka responded, just as Negi's eyes glazed over.

Very slowly, the boy began to tilt, almost falling into Konoka; straight away, Asuna and Konoka were at his side, catching him.

Naruto arrived just in time to witness this, and quickly joined the group.

"Are you alright?" Asuna asked, leaning over to look Negi in the eye.

Negi had regained his balance quickly, though Konoka still kept an arm hovering near him protectively.

"I'm fine," he told her.

"What time did you retire last night?" Setsuna asked.

"U-um, about four," he lied. Naruto gave him a sharp look, but didn't say anything.

"Aniki didn't go to bed and spent all night playing with Naruto-nii," Chamo corrected.

Negi gave him hurt look. "Hey, don't look at me like that," Chamo said defensively. "This is the second time you've almost collapsed. Even Naruto-nii would say you should rest."

"All night?" Asuna growled. "Why would you do that when you didn't have to?"

Negi looked away, slightly embarrassed.

"You should rest Negi-kun. It's hard for anyone to stay up all night, especially a ten year old," Konoka told him gently.

"They're right," Naruto told him. "You should rest if you aren't feeling up to it."

"C'mon, you can sleep in the nurse's office for a little while," the healing mage suggested.

"I-I guess," he finally agreed, defeated.

It didn't take long to get to the office, where Negi climbed into bed almost immediately, only pausing long enough to remove his jacket and shoes.

"Will you take care of Negi-kun for us?" Konoka asked Setsuna.

"Of course Ojou-sama," she agreed.

"Anything for Konoka, right?" Naruto teased.

Setsuna flushed. "O-of course."

The witch giggled. "Thank you Set-chan."

As Negi sat up on the bed, he grabbed the watch Chao had given him and examined it. It was beginning to bother him.

Soon enough, Setsuna came over to sit by his bedside. A stern look had him lay down properly; he placed the watch above the sheets on his chest.

He glanced around the room in confusion. "Is Naruto-nii not here?"

"No. He's decided to go and play while he waits for you to rest. He says that we should-"

"Yell when we want him. I already know," he cut her off. "I only need half an hour. Wake me up then. I still have so much to do," he yawned.

"You can worry about it later, but now its time to sleep," she told him gently. It was then that she took note of the watch. "Did you ever figure out Chao-san's gift?"

"No, not yet. I haven't se-ee-en her," he drifted off mid sentence.

Setsuna smiled. "Night." Then she herself yawned_. 'Maybe I'll take a little nap too?_' she thought to herself, relaxing in her seat.

That was her last memory before waking up to a gasping Negi.

* * *

"That Negi," Asuna growled. She and Konoka had just left the nurse's office, Naruto walking a few feet in front of them, humming a tune. "What's he trying to pull by staying up all night?"

Konoka giggled. "Isn't it natural that he'd want to keep up with Naruto-sensei?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Huh? But isn't it normal for the little brother to cling to the big one?"

Asuna blinked at that.

"The more time they spend together, the more like siblings they act," the witch continued to explain.

"He's not like that with me," she pointed out, slightly hurt. "Except when he's asleep," she added after a moment.

Asuna and Negi spent a lot of time together, though Asuna never thought Negi had particularly pushed himself or gone out of his way to do so.

"Of course," Konoka smiled. "That's the difference between a brother and sister; he'll go to you for emotional support, but his big brother for advice and someone to play with." She said all of this happily, despite being an only child herself.

Asuna sighed in relief. When Konoka gave her a curious look, she smiled uneasily. "I'm just glad I am coming off as a big sister, unlike Iincho."

Konoka giggled in response.

Oblivious, Naruto continued to hum, a small skip in his step.

* * *

When Negi opened his eyes, it was dark, though the ambient light from outside prevented it from being pitch black.

The sound of fireworks echoed through the room, illuminating it moments before the noise.

Negi sat up with a gasp, causing Setsuna to wake up. She had been snoozing in a seat by his bedside.

He looked around the office in wonderment, still not fully awake. "Why is it so dark?" he asked himself, wiping sleep from his eyes.

He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall; it read a few minutes past 8. Instantly he was fully awake and moving, yelling his lungs out. "NO! I overslept! I had so much to do; the festival; my teaching duties; the tournament – I've missed it all!"

He jumped up and out of bed in a panic, while Setsuna did the same, causing her chair to clatter to the floor. She was equally upset.

* * *

"Wait," Naruto interrupted again. "If it was 8 o'clock at night, how did you get to now?"

"Please Naruto-sensei, just listen and you will understand," Setsuna told him sternly.

"Alright; go on Negi," he told the red haired boy.

* * *

"Setsuna-san!" he yelled, his voice an even higher pitch than usual. "What am I going to do?"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! This is my fault for falling asleep too!"

"Aniki!" Chamo interrupted, bringing attention to himself. "What about the date! It was a 4pm!"

"What! Four!" Negi was so panicked at this point tears were beginning to collect in his eyes. "I've got to at least show up!" he told Setsuna and Chamo, quickly putting on his green suit jacket and shoes.

"Even if you leave now-" Setsuna began, but was quickly cut off by Chamo.

"Remember who you're dealing with! Knowing her, she probably waited the full four hours!"

As one, all three looked up, picturing Nodoka waiting patiently in the dark. Yes, they silently agreed, she would wait.

"AHH!" Negi yelled again. "What should I do? What should I do!" By now, the tears were flowing strongly.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault!" Setsuna continued to blame herself.

"We have to go!" Chamo told them.

At that signal, Negi grabbed his final item in the room, the watch Chao gave him, and set off at a run.

He hadn't taken one step, however, when the room began to spin.

The strange phenomenon lasted only a moment. When it passed, the room was bright with sunlight once again.

The three looked around the room in astonishment.

"Wha?" Setsuna breathed.

Looking out the window, the sun was back in the sky; the clock on the wall read five minutes to ten.

"Eh!"

* * *

"What is going on?" Setsuna asked as they cautiously began to wander down the halls and outside, where people were gathering. "Maybe we're dreaming?" she suggested. "Or maybe the clock in the infirmary was broken?"

"What time is it?" Chamo asked.

Setsuna took out her phone. "Eh? It says its 20:06!"

"What?" Chamo yelled, just as a small formation of planes streaked by just over head, leaving white lines behind in the air.

"Wow," Negi breathed, the current troubles momentarily forgotten.

Suddenly Negi was jostled by a passing man; that was when the child teacher noticed a sudden rush of people, all heading in the same direction.

"What's going on?" Setsuna asked, just as a voice boomed _"This is it! The 78__th__ Annual Mahora Festival Starts Now!"_

At this announcement, their jaws dropped and their eyes widened.

"Again! What do they mean 'Starts Now'?"

"No," Setsuna stated sharply. "We need to calm down and think this through. Let's find somewhere to sit; try not to be seen," she cautioned.

It didn't take them long to find a place, although Negi continually questioned her reasons for staying hidden the entire time; nevertheless, he complied with her wishes.

They managed to spot a few empty seats in a café. They ordered a couple of drinks, tea for Setsuna and a soft drink for Negi.

"Chamo," the red head began. "What's going on?"

"Aniki, take out the watch," the ermine commanded from his seat in the middle of the table.

Negi placed the watch on the table directly in front of the white familiar. "It really is suspicious. Hmm," Chamo hummed and then shook his head. "Apart from this, I don't see what else could have turned back time."

"Eh?"

"'Turn back time'?"

"I don't know much about science, so I don't understand the hows, but still… this is it. This is the real thing."

"I'm not sure I really believe that that thing could really turn back time. There is no such spell; not even the strongest magic can do so. Plus, for Chao-san to give it to us…" Setsuna trailed off.

"But there is no denying that we've gone back in time," Chamo stressed.

Negi was completely lost at the back and forth. "What! What is happening? Will someone explain it to me?"

"Oh, sorry," Setsuna blinked.

"Duck," Chamo suddenly hissed.

The two complied quick enough, ducking under the table.

"Haunted House, Haunted House," Naruto's voice come from over the background hum. He and Negi went past, the blond skipping as he moved and the ten year old following after.

They disappeared from sight.

"What is going on here? That was me and Naruto-nii!" Negi yelled, getting up from under the table, freaking out slightly.

Setsuna stood far more calmly.

"This is all the proof we need," Chamo stated.

"There is still the possibility Naruto-sensei is playing a prank on us; Negi-sensei, do you remember passing by this area with Naruto-sensei at approximately 10 o'clock earlier today?"

"Er, what?" Negi thought back, still slightly confused. "I think so," he eventually answered, only partially sure. "Naruto-nii was acting like that earlier though," he confirmed. "What does it matter?"

"I see. Then I think that that is the only explanation. Although I am unsure of the details, I believe this is a something that not even magic may achieve – time travel. In other words, that watch is a time machine."

"Eh?" Negi tilted his head to one side. "Eh!" he tilted it further, not quite understanding. "EH? Time machine!" he finally yelled as the concept clicked.

* * *

"What's a time machine?" Naruto asked.

"Y-y-y-you don't know?" Setsuna stuttered, absolutely stunned.

Naruto mutely shook his head.

"It's a device that allows you travel in time," Negi explained.

"Oh. That makes sense," Naruto agreed dully. "Cool," was his only comment.

"How can you take this so calmly?" Chamo yelled. "Don't you realise how amazing this all is?"

"Not really. So he travelled through time," Naruto shrugged. "Awesome, but I don't see why you are saying it's so impossible."

Setsuna gaped, her mouth working as she tried to work out a reply.

"You could do anything!" Negi gushed. "We could even go and see the dinosaurs!"

"Wait!" Naruto yelled as something suddenly clicked. His face was oddly serious, scaring Negi slightly. "You don't think this could take me home, do you?" he asked hopefully.

Both his hands were resting on Negi's shoulders, gripping tightly, though not painfully. He made sure that their eyes stayed linked.

"I-I don't know," Negi answered truthfully, a little intimidated. He shrank back a bit, though Naruto's hands prevented him from going too far.

"It's dangerous to play around with this," Setsuna told him strongly. "We need to speak to Chao-san in order to discover the limits and how to utilise this device properly. Who knows what could happen if we try to use it improperly. We could die."

Naruto threw her a cold look, but grudgingly nodded, releasing Negi. She was right after all; it was better to wait than to risk.

"That's what we decided earlier. After that we began to search for her – Chamo suggested disguises because there may be multiple copies of us running around – we can't let our past selves see us."

Naruto couldn't help but grin and nod at that, knowing the explanation didn't quite make sense. Chamo probably just wanted to get them to dress up.

Naruto turned to the ermine. "Hey, hey, we could run into someone like Evangeline; we wouldn't want her to get a hold of something like this," Chamo told him rather defensively.

"You do know she was with the Haunted House, right?"

"But for how long?" he countered.

Naruto had no response to that, so he shrugged. "Fair enough."

"So, where do you think Chao could be? You do spend quite some time together," Setsuna pointed out.

Naruto enjoyed going out to the Chao Zi Bo, where he usually passed the time talking to Chao and Satsuki; he wouldn't classify them as particularly close though. It didn't hurt that everything the two of them made was always superb.

"Not _that_ much," Naruto responded. "She never did say where she would be during the festival, or even what she was doing."

"Chao-san!" Negi suddenly yelled.

"The festival is too big for us to expect to find her just by shouting," Setsuna pointed out cynically.

"There!" Negi suddenly yelled, pointing at a building with a large sign stating 'Galaxy War' on the front. "Doesn't it seem suspicious? Let's go check it out!"

He sped off towards the line that was poking out of the building. With a shrug, the two followed.

Inside was a high-tech area; the speakers were going through a pre-set message explaining the basic story. It turned out that this was an action game where you shot enemies with toy guns.

They entered a large dome, each person receiving a weapon. The dome darkened, before suddenly lighting up as an artificial sky appeared. In it were dozens of space craft and 4 separate planets.

The target of the game was to destroy those enemy craft. They had to compete against almost two dozen other people, mostly other students.

Naruto wasn't very good and Setsuna did well, though Negi aced it, gaining a new high score.

"That was awesome!" Negi gushed as they left the dome, his name flashing up on the screen above the exit. "O-oh, but too bad that Chao wasn't there," he suddenly stuttered, remembering the reason they were there.

"Um, yeah," Setsuna responded dubiously.

"Negi…" Naruto started.

"There!" he interrupted, pointing toward another attraction. "This place looks suspicious." He was pointing towards something called 'Dinohazard.'

Negi wasted no time to run ahead and onto the ride.

Setsuna and Naruto shared a frustrated look, but followed him on.

It was a theme rollercoaster, where a group seat of 8 went through a jungle, electronic dinosaurs roaring and looming.

It was quite a spectacle.

As soon as the ride was over Negi was off again, running along in his search.

Setsuna and Naruto shared a look, the former of annoyance, the latter one of rising anger.

"I don't think Aniki is taking this seriously," Chamo commented from his perch on Setsuna's shoulder. He was frowning around the cigarette in his mouth as he spoke.

"No, that little brat isn't, is he?" Naruto spoke; his jaw was set and he was practically growling.

"Do-don't be too hard on him Naruto-nii; he is just a kid. It's good for a ten year to act his age, don't you think?" Chamo spoke fearfully, defending his Aniki. "Plus, he's never been to an amusement park."

"Chamo-kun is right. It's nice to see him like this," Setsuna said with a smile.

Naruto gave the pair an annoyed look before finally, "You're right," he admitted. "But still, this is important and he shouldn't just get to slack off and play. I've never been to a place like this either; don't you think I want to play too?" he finished with a pout.

"Hey! Hey, this looks suspicious!" Negi yelled, grabbing their attention as he pointed towards a blimp. It was moored to the ground, dozens of people around it with an arch advertising the ride. "We should ride on it to make sure!"

Setsuna caved instantly. "Okay, okay," she laughed.

Naruto gave her a dark look, but found himself nodding in agreement anyway when Negi's smile grew even larger. He plastered on a fake smile as they boarded, not wanting to let Negi know him was starting to get really impatient with him. He was greatly enjoying the rides too, but this was a time machine, and the quicker they learned about it the quicker he could go home.

The three of them (plus ermine) quickly found an area where they could watch the scenery as the blimp began its ascent.

They didn't have to wait long as Mahora began to stretch out before him.

"Waah!" Negi let out a sigh of amazement.

"Isn't this the same as what you see whenever you go out on your broom?" Setsuna asked.

"No, no, it's totally different!"

"How?"

"Well, when I fly on my staff, I have to keep an almost constant stream of magic, manipulating it just so, so that I stay in the air and manoeuvre it how I want. I also need to create a bubble to keep out the wind, though that only becomes a problem at high speed. Here I can just watch the view."

"You keep the wind out? Why?" Naruto asked. He loved the feeling of wind blowing though his hair, especially whenever he was in free fall or the like. It was one of Naruto's top ten sensations, below such things as the taste of ramen and a bit above the feel of Sage Mode.

"It makes it hard to see properly."

"Then why don't you get some goggles or something," Naruto suggested.

"That would only take care of sensei's eyes. There are also possible passengers, wind resistance against the body and other matters of balance to worry about," Setsuna provided.

"I guess," Naruto said sullenly.

They turned back to the window to watch Mahora as they rose higher and higher.

Suddenly, Setsuna let out a light chuckle. "What is it, Setsuna-san?"

"I was just thinking that this is so relaxing. It's rare that any of us can just calmly take in the scenery like this," she turned to look at the two boys to her left.

Negi was in the middle while Naruto was the furthest from her. Chamo was sat on the rails to her right.

"We're usually so busy rushing around." Suddenly she turned to face them both. "I'm very grateful to you both; you've done so much for me, your words have given me confidence in myself, and because of you I can stay by Ojou-sama's side. I owe you so much; if you ever need me for anything, just say the word and I'll be there."

"I didn't really do anything…" Negi began humbly, but Naruto cut him off, placing one hand on his head, the rabbit head making it impossible to ruffle the boy's hair like he wanted to.

"We only said and did what we thought was right; that's all. You don't owe either of us anything. What you do now is up to you," he gave a small smile. "Besides, aren't we the teachers here? _'Just say the word and I'll be there.'_ That should be our line."

"Ah, erm, yes," she mumbled embarrassedly.

"Remember, you're a precious person to me; I'll do anything for you."

Negi looked up in adoration at Naruto while Setsuna immediately began to blush and stutter. Beside her, Chamo chuckled. "That sounded like a confession of love to me," he puffed on his cigarette.

Naruto calmly waved it away, a small grin beginning to tug at his lips as he spoke. "Nah; besides, I don't think I'm her type."

"Naruto-sensei!" she protested.

"I don't know about that. She did say she found you quite attractive," Chamo commented.

"Chamo!" she flushed.

"Really? When?"

"When we were following Negi and Asuna around on there date. She also mentioned that the aged up Negi was very good looking too."

"Aww, thank you Setsuna," Naruto earnestly thanked her, causing the swordswoman's mouth to work as her heartbeat quickened and her eyes dropped down to study her shoes in embarrassment.

"It's not like that!" she finally managed to get her words out. "I mean, I do find you both very handsome, and, erm," she stuttered. "Look, the only one in my heart is Ojou-sama!" she suddenly declared, one hand on her chest, the other tightly gripping the guard rail.

She froze as she realized what she'd just said. Both blond and red head were gazing at her, their heads cocked to one side. Negi's face showed curiosity, while Naruto was grinning.

"Ah, so it's like that?" Negi stated.

"So it was Konoka!" Naruto shouted.

"No! I don't like-! I mean, I do like her! I mean-"

"Setsuna-san likes Konoka-san, Setsuna-san likes Konoka-san," Negi sang, skipping around while Chamo sniggered.

Naruto couldn't resist joining in a little.

"If that's how you want to play…" she muttered angrily as she rushed past Naruto, grabbing Negi by both shoulders and leaning down so they were face to face. "Who do like best- Asuna or Nodoka?"

"What's that got to do with anything?" Negi cried.

"Is it true?" Konoka's voice came from behind Setsuna, where Naruto and Chamo stood. "Do you really love me?"

"I-I-I," she stuttered as she slowly stood up straight, still facing Negi. Konoka's voice was confused, though not disgusted or scared.

"Please, I need to know," she begged with longing.

"I-I-I," Setsuna continued to repeat.

"Please, look at me and tell me the truth."

Setsuna took a shaky breath as she turned, only to find Naruto standing there, Chamo barely holding in his laughter.

His hands still in a seal, Naruto continued in Konoka's voice. "Will you protect me? Always?"

"Sensei!" she yelled out angrily, still blushing furiously. "Who do you like?" she suddenly asked, trying to get him on the back foot like she had Negi.

Instead, Naruto just grinned at her, breaking his seal and giving her a thumbs up; she didn't realise it, but he was giving her the Nice Guy pose. "I like everyone!"

There was silence, and then… "What kind of answer is that?" the winged girl thundered.

* * *

Setsuna pouted beside Naruto as Negi went to the toilet, still upset about being teased like that.

Soon though, she sighed. "How do you think we should go about finding Chao-san?" she asked, trying to refocus herself on the task at hand. "Do you know where she could be?"

Naruto shook his head. "I could easily find her with Sage Mode," he admitted, "but I'd rather not. There was a big commotion last time I tried and I want to avoid that happening again."

"No need for that," a voice called from behind the two. They turned to find Chao walking towards them, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Chao-san!" Setsuna gasped, while Naruto gave her a lazy wave.

"How do you like time travel?" she asked. "I thought first hand experience would be for the best so I slipped you some sleeping pills in the nurse's office. Sorry about that."

"You got tricked like that?" Naruto asked teasingly, knowing full well he would have fallen for it too.

Still, Chao was quick to defend her classmate's pride. "Don't blame her so quickly; those pills were both colourless and tasteless; not even a professional like you would notice them."

"I was joking."

"You did that to me?"

"Sorry about that."

"Never mind that right now," Chamo dismissed from his perch on Naruto's shoulder. "What I want to know is about the time travel ability of yours. No normal human, no matter how much of a genius, can simply make a time machine. Who are you? Really?"

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"We're sure."

"Hoo hoo hoo, then I'll tell you. At times a mysterious and amazing Chinese inventor," she began, striking a pose, one arm in front and the other at her side to keep her balance "at other times the class treasure, a mad scientist of the highest calibre," she proclaimed as she began to hop on her right foot, going from right to left. "The school's number one girl genius," she finished her hopping and planted both feet, her shoulders squared and her arms spread with the palms outward, "owner of the campus' super popular _Chao Bao Xi_ at others," she flourished, one arm forward with the palm showing, the other the back in the same way, causing her body to be facing away at a ninety degree angle while her vision faced down her arm, "my true identity is…. An alien from Mars!" she finished by mockingly wiggling her arms like tentacles and pursing her lips like a snout.

"Like hell!" Setsuna immediately denied, hitting the girl on the head with a paper fan that suddenly appeared and then immediately disappeared.

"In a class with a Vampire, a robot, a ninja and a ghost, hearing about an alien isn't a surprise, but really-" Setsuna began seriously, before suddenly face faulting at the scene before her.

"Alien, cool," Naruto immediately believed her, stepping forward. "But you did the introduction wrong," he lightly scolded, wagging her finger in front of her face.

"I did?" she pouted.

"Yep. For one, you hopped on the wrong foot," he told her. "It should be like this," he demonstrated by hopping on one foot to his right, on his right foot. "Give it a try."

Nodding, she did so, hopping left on her left. "Ah, the balance is much better," she agreed.

"The rest of it was perfect though," he gave her a thumbs up and a smile.

"Thanks Naruto-kun!" she grinned back.

"Be serious, idiot!" Setsuna shouted after recovering from the shock.

"Oh, don't be mean," he pouted. "And why should I be serious? It's just Chao – she's a good girl," he defended his student, patting her on the head affectionately.

In response, Chao gave a grin that just screamed – 'Pet me more, praise me more!' Setsuna was surprised the girl wasn't purring like a cat.

In response, Setsuna grit her teeth and pulled out her Pactio card. "I want to know why you're really here! If you betray Negi-sensei's trust, I won't forgive you."

"Hoo," Chao laughed. "Trying to put up the tough guy act in that outfit? It doesn't really work-ne."

Setsuna flushed, suddenly reminded that she was wearing a skimpy rabbit costume. "Sh-Shut up!"

"Calm down Setsuna. If Negi saw you ready to point a weapon at one of his students, he'd cry; I'm just getting angry," he warned. "Besides, Chao wouldn't really harm Negi."

"Naruto-kun is right; you can relax. I can't say I won't betray his trust, but that watch is just to help him enjoy the festival," she told them with a straight face. "Negi-bozu happens to be a blood relation - family," she began, turning to look straight into Naruto's eyes. "And _that guy_ taught me the importance of family. There is no way I would hurt him."

"Wha?" Setsuna gasped out, while Naruto stared at her curiously.

"I wouldn't lie about this," she told them, her face displaying an uncharacteristic seriousness that Setsuna had never seen before. "Or perhaps you would believe me if I said: this is a promise – I am not lying."

"Who _are_ you?" Setsuna asked in amazement.

* * *

"So that really is a Time Machine?" Negi gasped as they disembarked from the blimp.

Chao was walking next to him, holding the machine; Naruto and Setsuna walked side by side behind them, the former with his hands interlocked behind his head and the latter sending Chao suspicious glances as she glowered.

"Yep, it really is! Meet '_Cassiopeia'_, the pocket-watch time machine. With it, the user – and those around them – can travel across time. It's a super high-technology item!" Chao cheerily explained. "I'm just glad it works," she winked. "Truth is, that was only the second time it's been activated, and the first took place two and a half years ago."

"Huh?"

"What do you mean 'glad it works'?" Negi asked.

"It uses Magical Energy as its power source, so I couldn't use it before. Thanks to you, I've been able to test it properly. I'm glad it worked after so long," she finished a nervous grin, handing the device over to the boy.

"So what would have happened if it didn't work?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, well, you could've been stuck between dimensions forever," she gave a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of her head.

Naruto glared at this, opening his mouth to reprimand her, when she suddenly turned with her head bowed in apology. "I know you don't like the idea of using people as test subjects; I'm sorry. But it was really important."

Naruto sighed, unable to resist the look she was giving him over her enjoined hands. "It's fine."

"Thank goodness," she relaxed.

Negi tugged on her sleeve, causing Chao to turn back to the child teacher. "Anyway, thank you for this; because of you I can keep my promise with Nodoka-san. It really is an amazing item you've loaned me."

"Here's the manual; read it thoroughly. Oh, and before you ask," she once again turned to Naruto. "I can't take you back to Konoha; there isn't enough power. I'm really sorry."

Then, she gave them a wave and ran off. Setsuna glared as the Chinese girl fled.

Meanwhile, Naruto just seemed to collapse in on himself. Then he gave a deep sigh, knowing he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. He did what he always did; smiled.

"I've got a date to keep," Negi cheered, beginning to run off.

"Oh yeah, you have a date with Nodoka, don't you?"

"It isn't a date!" he flushed. "Now c'mon." he charged off.

Naruto and Setsuna followed at a much more sedate pace.

"I still don't trust Chao-san," Setsuna admitted once they were a fair distance away.

"But Chao-san is a really nice person," Negi told her.

"That's right," Naruto agreed. "She makes me my favourite ramen at half price."

"Don't trust someone for such shallow reasons!" the swordswoman snapped.

"Please, just trust her for now. That's no problem, is it?" Negi asked.

"But-"

"We shouldn't over use this thing," Chamo cut in, partly in agreement with Setsuna but not willing to go too far against Aniki and Naruto-nii. "Since you're so worried, we'll leave it in your care," Chamo finished, gesturing for Negi to pass the _Cassiopeia_ over to the older girl.

"Sure," she agreed, somewhat mollified.

"What's the rest of your day like?" Naruto asked, leaning over Negi's shoulder as he pulled out a simple timetable.

It was a simple and childish timetable, pictures of student's faces in the appropriate area.

"Let's see, I'm meeting Nodoka-san at 16:00, then at 17:30 I have the martial arts preliminary tournament, and then at 19:00 to 22:00, I have World Tree patrol."

"What!" Setsuna exclaimed. "You only gave Nodoka-san and hour and a half?" she asked, her mouth open slightly in shock.

"Wha? Is that bad?" Negi asked, looking particularly small and nervous.

"Leave it to a ten year old to be clueless," Chamo commented.

"Geez Negi, if you're going to go on a date, even I know you should go full force. Y'know, romantic walks, fireworks, all that crap."

"Although crude, Naruto-sensei has a point."

"I feel bad for Jo-chan; to only be given that much time."

"Looks like we'll be needing that device after all," Setsuna commented nervously. Then something seemed to occur to her. "You're not going wearing that, are you?"

Negi nodded. "Is that bad?"

"Do I even have to ask," Chamo told him snidely.

"What have you got before 16:00?" Setsuna asked.

"Um, patrols, exhibits, the auction-"

"Pft, blow it off. We'll let the next '_us'_ deal with that," Chamo advised.

"We've gotten until 16:00 to get ready. We'll get Konoka-nee-san to help us out."

"What time is it?" Naruto asked.

"About 14:00," Chamo responded.

"Are you telling me you need two hours to get ready?"

"Like you have room to talk; you wear orange with everything," Chamo pointed out.

"That's because orange goes with everything!"

The three sweat dropped.

"Well, you no longer have the right to help Aniki prepare for his date."

"Fine," the ninja pouted.

"It's not a date!"

"I'm going to go deal with the auction. I'll see you there, and then I'll meet you at the preliminaries." Then he rubbed his chin in thought. "So will you be seeing me at the preliminaries and then the auction?"

"Quick, let's go," Chamo whispered.

"Bye Naruto-nii." Negi called as the three left the blond to his pondering.

* * *

"Hey Negi," Naruto greeted.

As expected, Negi had changed; he was wearing a white shirt, rather tight against his body. His pants were a fine black, and he was wearing a black cape with a white cravat.

They were both backstage in a large stadium. Occasionally a pretty girl or a buff man would wander past, probably an announcer, assistant or a stage hand; apart from that, the two were alone with the one hundred items or so that were being sold.

Some of them were big, others were old; there was a huge variety of things being sold. It seemed like they were the only two people there though.

"Naruto-nii-san!" Negi greeted excitedly. "You're the real one, right? This is before my meeting with Nodoka-san, right?"

"Yep! Why?"

"We have a warning for you, Naruto-nii," Chamo told him from his perch on Negi's shoulder. "Watch out for Ane-san."

"Asuna? Why should I -"

"Just be careful," Chamo told him seriously, Negi nodding his agreement with a light flush.

"Oh, and I'm sorry for what I said earlier."

"Huh?"

"Oh, I don't mean earlier for me and later for you, I mean I said it earlier to one of your clones, and – I'm sorry."

"I forgive you." Naruto replied confusedly. He had no idea what he was forgiving but that was fine.

"I hope this doesn't take to long," Naruto mentioned after a short silence. "I have somewhere I want to be."

"Why don't you send a clone?"

"I could, but this is one of those things I want to do myself. I just hope I'm not late for the tournament. Was I?" he asked the two that were from the future and may or may not know.

Negi nodded his head slightly. "You were a little later but had sent a clone ahead to save you a place; you arrived just in time."

"I was going to do that," Naruto pouted.

"Ah, excuse me," a young woman approached. "Could you please change into these," she asked Naruto, handing over a bundle of clothes. Naruto took them with a smile he didn't fully mean.

"Sure thing."

* * *

Ayaka and Kotaro sat in front row seats of the hall. There were hundreds of the foldable chairs set out in two sets, allowing an aisle in the middle. The seats were completely full by the time Kotaro noticed Naruto had arrived, and people were rapidly filling all available spaces, even if they had to stand.

Just by taking a whiff of the air Kotaro was nearly overwhelmed by the smell of perfume and female deodorants (that didn't really hide anything from his nose). He could smell their excitement in their sweat, and hear the hammering of their hearts.

They had arrived early so that the old hag could get great seats for the auction.

She was wearing a black corset-dress, black thigh high socks and black arm warmers that extended to her biceps and ended in white fur.

On the other hand, he was wearing a full body brown dog costume – he'd taken off the snout though.

He and Negi had dressed up for the Haunted House, him as a dog and Negi as a vampire.

From his and Negi's perspective, they had already fought in the preliminary tournament; this was his second day around – it was Negi's fourth and last, as he went and visited all of the class exhibits.

A Naruto clone had been with them from time to time, laughing and joking with them. He'd even treated them to ice-cream.

He and the old hag were refusing to look at each other as the hall finished filling up.

Soon enough, the principal himself, Konoe Konoemon stepped out from behind the curtain and walked to the podium off to one side of the stage.

A silence fell.

"I'm so happy that our annual auction has become so popular in such a short time," he began, idly stroking his beard. His gaze swept over the predominately female attendance. "I have a feeling there are only two reasons for this spike in fame; however, before we get to those two items, I believe it would be prudent to at least go through some of our other items.

"All of them were generously donated by students or faculty for the purpose of helping the school and this event – I hope you enjoy them.

"First up, we have a locket donated by Sahashi Yume, of high school class 2-G," he began describing the piece before beginning the auction.

Both Ayaka and Kotaro lost focus at this, uncaring about most of the useless junk that was put on sale.

Uncaring about what was in front of him, Kotaro turned his attention back.

"-gi-sensei up," he heard a familiar voice mutter from near the back.

"I'm more interested in Naruto-sensei," Chizuru told Natsumi.

Kotaro turned in his seat, and found at the far back of the room most of 3-A. Ayaka followed his gaze and huffed.

"Those girls; they must have closed the Haunted House to come here."

With only a few exceptions, all the girls were there, including Zazie, which was a surprise. Even that female Naruto was there, animatedly talking to Yuna and Sakurako.

After a full hour of items being sold to people, the Headmaster had a crystal ball brought out.

"This is the last item before the main event," he announced. "I am personally donating this; it is a very old crystal ball – no one is sure just how old, or what it was made for or with. It predates all other similar artefacts by centuries.

"Hohoho. We'll start the bidding at 1000 yen."

A middle aged man raised his arm, taking that bet, quickly followed by a teenage boy, the president of the archaeology club. After that a brief exchange of bets followed as they bid for the two.

"AH!" Naruko's voice suddenly echoed. "Can I get a closer look at that?" she yelled.

With a chuckle, the Headmaster motioned her forward. She practically ran down the aisle before grabbing the crystal ball to inspect it thoroughly.

"I think it is!" she called out. "Boss! Boss!"

"What?" Naruto yelled from back stage.

"It's Jiji's Crystal Ball!"

Naruto's head poked out onto the stage.

"What?"

"Look at it, this is Jiji's!"

"Are you sure?" he asked, coming onto the stage to properly inspect it.

He had been forced to change out of his earlier clothes and was now wearing a smart white shirt, black pants and jacket with a black tie. The contrast with his bright blond hair suited him well, causing the predominantly female audience to begin murmuring.

"Only one way to find out," she replied as she began to rub the ball's smooth surface, a small bit of chakra into it. "Who?" she asked, as she manoeuvred her body so that she blocked the ball from the audience's sight. She grabbed Naruto's arm, pulling him close to provide a better coverage as he answered.

"Asuna. Apparently she's going to do stuff to us today."

In response, the blond girl nodded her head and caressed the ball. It nearly instantly turned opaque, before colours and shapes began to form.

Then it began to shift between two different pictures. The first was of Asuna in a gallery full of people, the second had the red head outside with Setsuna, ruining confessions.

Wide eyed, the two turned to each other and cheered. "It's Jiji's!" they yelled out, hugging each other. Then they began to dance, one hand clasped in the others and they circled the small table the ball was resting against, jumping up and down with identical grins.

"Hohoho, you know what this is?" Konoe asked.

"Yep! It's Jiji, I mean Sandaime Hokage's. I can tell just by looking at it. The test just confirms it."

"And do you personally have any claim on the ball?"

"It would have been passed down to me by succession, except I got trapped, didn't I? I was just two diplomatic missions away from Hokagedom."

"Sure, you say that, but we're not sure, are we?" Naruko countered.

"Well, no, but…" Naruto sighed.

"It doesn't matter. I'm afraid I still have to ask if you'll be placing a bid." Konoemon asked with a small inclination of his head.

"Sure, sure, whatever that guy's was plus 1000 yen," Naruto made a vague gesture in the direction of the middle aged man.

"10,500 yen," Naruko called out for him.

"11,000," the man called.

"Trust me on this oji-san; I'm not going to let this thing go. You may as well just save us both time and money by letting me have it."

"You'll run out of money eventually," he countered.

"I'm sorry Higa-san, but I suggest you back out," Konoe offered, displaying an old mans ability to know everyone. "12,000 yen, right?" he asked Naruto.

"Yeah," Naruto and Naruko nodded in sync.

"I can trust you on this Konoe-sama?" Higa asked.

"You will understand in a moment," Konoemon assured with a nod.

"Then I concede," he withdrew with his head held high.

"Going once, going twice, sold to our next item of interest," he quickly acted.

"Yay!" the two cheered again as Naruko grabbed the ball and made their way back to the back where the rest of the class stood. She was skipping down the aisle.

"Oh, and one last thing," the Headmaster added. "Naruko-kun, I'm afraid you can't place a bid. And neither can Satoshi or Rito," he added. "You know why," he finished with a knowing glint in his eye.

"Damn it!" Naruto yelled, three other calls around the room echoing it.

"Now, we come to our final event. Negi-kun, if you will please step forward," he said, gesturing for the 10 year old to step onto the stage.

He did so easily, long being used to being the centre of attention of a large numbers of women.

He'd ditched the cape and cravat back stage at the advice of one of the stagehands.

"Now to announce our last two, and I get the feeling our most anticipated, auction items. First up we have Negi Springfield, the genius Child Teacher. He has made quite a name for himself both in and out the classroom for his exemplary work, polite and kind demeanour and finally his looks. Once again, Negi Springfield."

With that, a huge squeal rent the air as the girls in the audience cheered.

Kotaro threw a look of contempt at Ayaka, one of the loudest. She was almost jumping out of her seat in her excitement.

"We also have Uzumaki Naruto, the," he gave a polite cough, "'Mysterious Hottie.' He is the inheritor and godson of Namikaze Jiraiya, and kindly donated 10 million yen for this festival. Extremely protective of his friends, his cheerful attitude has spread throughout the campus. Once again, Uzumaki Naruto!"

This time, instead of the sound of happy girls, there was silence, broken only by Naruto, who was hissing that the Headmaster didn't have to tell them that.

It was a silence born of shock, but eventually that stretch of quiet faded and the people began to yell and scream.

The Headmaster let this last for a full minute before making any move to calm them down.

Higa gave him a brief nod, acknowledging his good advice, which he returned before calling out and calming the people.

"Now, as I'm sure you are aware, the prize you will be bidding on is a full day with either of these two fine young men. They will do anything you ask, within reason. A simple date is the usual inclination, though it is not limited to that."

"We'll begin the bidding with Naruto. Bid starts at 6,000 yen."

"6,000!"

"7,000!"

"7,500!"

The bids immediately began to pile in from shrieking women; they ran the range from teenagers to old women.

Finally bidding began to calm down the numbers went higher and higher.

"76,000," one woman finally called. Naruto looked down on her from his place in the front of the stage; she was mature, but not old. You wouldn't describe her as pretty, but had a hardy beauty about her.

For some reason, she made his hair stand on the back of his neck.

Naruko immediately noticed his distress and turned to the girls of class 3-A; those of them that had bid were already past their limit, while the rest were more interested in their teacher.

"Please, one of you buy the boss and beat that oba-san's bid. I'll lend you the money," Naruko begged.

"Oh my, it seems we have no choice," Chizuru mentioned. "I'll be happy to buy Naruto-sensei for you. But of course, I want the day."

"Sure thing!" the bubbly blond agreed. After all, better the devil you know than the one you don't.

"78,000!" Chizuru called.

"78,500," the other woman called again.

"79,000."

_'Argh, any more and it won't be worth it,'_ the woman thought, bowing out of the competition.

"Going once!" Konoe called out.

Chizuru smiled kindly. "I wonder what I'll have him do?" she asked herself aloud.

"Going twice!"

"We'll get to play with him too, right?" Fuuka asked.

"Oh, I wonder about that," she continued with a pleasant smile.

It sent Naruko's spine shivering.

"And sold to the lovely young lady at the back!"

'_Sorry Boss, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all,'_ she thought.

"And now, onto Negi-kun," Konoemon began before Naruto began to whisper in his ear.

"I see. Well, I guess its fine. I'm sure Nabe-san will hold you to this and make sure you participate," the principal replied, accidentally allowing the microphone to pick it up.

"It seems Naruto-kun is a busy man and will be taking his leave," Konoe told them.

Naruto waved at the audience and gave them a quick bow, only stopping to whisper an apology to Negi.

"Sorry Negi, but its 15:45 and I have someone I have to talk to soon."

With that he disappeared backstage and the bidding on Negi began. Unsurprisingly, Ayaka was the victor of that contest. Meanwhile, Kotaro sunk into his seat, embarrassed to be seen with her and wondering why he didn't run and catch up with Aniki.

* * *

It didn't take long for Naruto to arrive at his destination.

Hiding behind a large fountain that was spewing out water, Naruto stopped to figure out his game plan. His target was in sight, a phone to her ear. She looked flustered as she spoke into the phone, and then she brought out _IT._

'_Lucky lucky,_' he thought, approaching quickly yet naturally.

Wearing a cute pink dress, Nodoka was facing away from him; she was flushed as she looked _IT_ over.

He peeked over her shoulder to see her holding her Artefact, _Diarium Ejus_; it was open in her arms. It showed a picture of Negi and Nodoka – the latter was deeply kissing the surprised former, a caption just underneath read 'Today's Goal.'

"_Turn around!"_ a shout came from the phone, shocking Nodoka out of her fantasy.

It was too late though, and Naruto had already knocked the still open book out of her hands and into the air before she could turn to face him. He grabbed it at the apex of its flight and snatched it out of the air.

She finished her turn, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open in surprise. Slowly, she began to flush.

Naruto glanced down at the book, where it showed a picture of him, dozens of question marks around him; the words beneath were _'What's he doing here? Why has he grabbed my Artefact? What does he want with it? Is he spying on me? Oh no! I hope he doesn't look back! Ack, now he'll know to look back! This is so embarrassing!' _

"Don't worry, I won't interfere in your date unless you go too far with a ten year old," he warned gently. "In that way," he said, glancing down at the book. "Kissing is okay though," he allowed before silently backing away, giving one last gesture to the girl; he pointed to her and then pointed to his own eyes, the universal sign of _'I'm watching you.'_

She stared after him as he faded into the crowd.

"Hi," Negi's voice greeted from behind her. She jumped at the sound of his voice and quickly spun to face him.

He was wearing a white hat, beige jeans, a dark brown jacket vest and a cream t-shirt.

"Were you waiting long? Sorry about that."

"N-No," she blushed, fidgeting nervously with her fingers behind her back.

"You look really cute in those clothes," he complimented her honestly.

"Th-thank you," her blush intensified.

Meanwhile, Naruto took a seat beside Konoka; she was still wearing her witch's costume.

She, Setsuna, Asuna, Yue and Haruna were all hiding behind a bush, watching the pair as they spoke.

"They actually look really good together," Asuna noted.

"I hope I didn't go overboard with his clothes," Konoka fretted, "especially the hat. What do you think Set-chan?"

"I think it's cute."

"Wha? When did you four get here?" Haruna asked, recoiling slightly in shock.

"Four?" Asuna frowned in confusion.

"Yo," Naruto announced his presence, causing Konoka and Asuna to jump. Setsuna had noticed him as soon as he sat, although she hadn't sensed his approach at all.

"What did you take off Nodoka?" Haruna immediately asked the blond. "You almost ruined it for her," she scowled.

"Just a book," he showed the book in question, one finger saving his page. "I'll return it to her soon," he assured with a smile.

"Oh, alright then," Haruna agreed. That smile was dangerous! "I have other fish to fry right now anyhow. Asuna! There something I've wanted to ask you for awhile and this is perfect timing. I'll just come straight out and say it," she declared. "Does Nodoka stand a chance?" she asked with a flourish, pointing a finger right in Asuna's face. "What is your current relationship to Negi Springfield?"

"Wha?" Asuna gaped.

Meanwhile, Naruto cracked open the book and began to skim through its page's.

Curious, Konoka, Yue and Setsuna leaned over to peek inside.

There were various random thoughts, like _'He thinks I'm cute. I'm so happy,_' and_ 'I wonder where he's going to take me?'_ There were also accompanying doodles. So far, apart from the material about kissing from before Naruto grabbed the Artefact, it was completely innocent.

"Why did you steal Nodoka's Artefact?" Yue hissed.

"To keep an eye on her," he shrugged.

"You don't really think she'll try something she shouldn't, do you?" Setsuna asked.

"Better safe than sorry," he told them honestly. "Ero-Sennin always said it was he quiet ones you should always look out for. He may have been a lecherous old perv, but after finding out about Hinata stalking me, I sorta had to take him on this one."

"Stalker?"

"Only a little, when we were younger. She stopped once we graduated from the Academy. Well, apart from one or two cases anyway. Look, it doesn't matter!" Naruto finished, flustered.

"You're not going to ruin her date, are you?" Yue asked with a small glare, a stark contrast to her usual dull expression.

"Only if she tries something that'll get her arrested," he told her in all seriousness.

"And what do you think?" Haruna suddenly asked, moving on from a faintly annoyed Asuna to look at him.

"About what?" he asked, having phased out their conversation.

"Who does Negi like? You and Asuna are the closest ones to him; I'm sure one of you two knows."

"What did you say?" he asked Asuna with a flat look.

"That Negi's ten and isn't old enough for this stuff."

"Seconded," he replied. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. Negi. Is. Ten."

"Ack! They're moving!" Konoka signalled the others. They followed behind at a discreet distance, careful not to let themselves be seen by the young couple in front of them.

Suddenly, Yue disappeared. Noticing this, Naruto quickly doubled back, only to catch sight of her talking to another Negi.

He quickly chased after Asuna and the others now that he knew where she'd gone.

"I just know I'll have a headache by the end of today. Stupid time travel duplicates," he muttered to himself as he caught up.

Negi had led them all to an outdoor book sale.

Once again, Naruto opened _Diarium Ejus__ and opened it at the newest quickly filling pages._

_They were all about how happy she was, and bits of trivia about the books they were discussing. Nothing note worthy._

He looked up from the book with a sigh. Haruna was peeking over the book shelf they were hiding behind, muttering to herself, while Asuna, Konoka and Setsuna were all sat, hidden from sight.

"Man, these Artefacts are really awesome," he let out. It was something he'd been thinking for awhile.

"Aren't they?" Konoka smiled.

"Yours heals, right?" At her nod, he continued, making sure to keep his voice low so Haruna couldn't hear it. "That's a great ability. I've always been terrible at it," he told her honesty. "I'm glad at least on person has such a useful ability."

"Thank you," she smiled back. "I'm still learning myself, but I could teach you."

"I can't use magic," he reminded. "Besides, Medical Ninjutsu and healing has always been beyond me."

"Didn't your school ever teach you First Aid?" she asked. If she recalled correctly, he went to a ninja school, so wasn't this something they learnt there?

"They tried, but I failed that course. And most others to be honest. In fact, the only reason I graduated was because I beat up a teacher."

"You did what?" Asuna cut in loudly, drawing Haruna's attention.

Seeing this, he muttered "Never mind."

About fifteen minutes passed as they watched the book-centric date, before Haruna began to implement her plan. Slowly but surely, she began to sneak away.

As soon as she was out of ear-shot, Naruto returned to the earlier conversation.

"What are the other Pactio Artefacts you girls have? I mean, apart from the healing fans and the book that can read minds."

"Ane-san has _Ensis Exorcizans,_ the demon-slaying fan, while Setsuna-nee-san has _Sica Shishikushiro,_ a set of sixteen magical knives," Chamo was the one to answer. Naruto hadn't even noticed him until now. "Of course, you already know about Jo-chan's _Diarium Ejus__, _the mind reading book_, and Konoka-nee-san's __Flabelli Euri et Australi__, _the healing fans_._

"Geez, what awesome items," he muttered, slightly put out.

"Why don't you get one too?" Konoka suggested.

Naruto made a face, showing his disgust with the idea. "Like I'm going to kiss Negi."

Vaguely annoyed at the suggestion, Naruto turned his attention back to the book just in time for it to change.

"Ooh, something's happening," he told them.

Instantly they crowded around as words began to appear on the pages. _'Negi-sensei's lips look so soft… Ack, what am I thinking! Did Naruto-sensei see this? It's so embarrassing. I've got to distract myself.'_

Peeking over the book shelf, the four found Haruna placing a book on top of a shelf just as Nodoka turned to see it; the glasses wearing girl wasn't seen.

The book immediately came under scrutiny as Nodoka become more and more flustered. _'Kiss! No, no, can't think about kissing! Why did he have to ask about Deep Kissing? I wonder what it would be like…? Adult things... No! I can't think about that! What if Naruto-sensei sees?'_ she panicked.

'_This is bad. I can't get kissing out of my mind. What would Sensei think if he knew about these thoughts?'_ she asked herself.

Again, the foursome peeked over the bookshelf to get a clear view of Nodoka as she seemed to have a minor panic attack.

Suddenly, she tripped, falling atop the boy.

There was a moment as her thoughts went blank, and then – _'I want to kiss him.'_ This stray thought leaked out.

"Negi-sensei!" a familiar voice called out; they could hear it from all the way across the courtyard. "What do you think you're doing?"

"This isn't what it looks like," Negi loudly protested, his arms in the air in surrender. "We just tripped."

Again the four peeked over, this time to check out the source of the interruption.

They found two girls standing over the still downed forms of Negi and Nodoka, scolding them.

"Who're they?" Asuna demanded.

"It's Takane and Mei," Naruto recognised them instantly. "They're, I guess you could call them co-workers."

"The blond is a bit more than that," Chamo muttered.

"Well then, what are you waiting for," Asuna told him, pushing him out and into the open. "Distract them," she hissed.

"Why should I?"

"As an apology to Honya-chan for stealing her Artefact," she told him with a decisive nod.

"Like you weren't using it either," he replied, too low for her to hear him. Or so he thought.

Rolling his eyes, he quickly created a clone which transformed into Kotaro and they both began to walk towards where Negi was being scolded.

"Here we are, on patrol, while you are shirking your duties to go on a date with a female student. It may not be the 120% success rate like it is on the last day, but even now there is a 60-80% chance. You should be more careful!" Takane lay into him, disappointed.

"It's not a date!" Negi yelled.

"Its still risky ground."

"She's at a dangerous level!" Mei exclaimed, a magical device for detecting emotions in her hands and pointed at Nodoka. It was giving her readings that were telling her "She might confess at any moment!"

"Mei-chan," the approaching Naruto began, "it's rude to blurt that kind of thing out."

"Naruto-kun!" Takane let out, unconsciously straightening her back and adopting a nervous smile.

"Hey Takane," he cheerfully greeted.

"Mei-chan," Kotaro also greeted with a smile.

Mei squeaked as Kotaro waved at her. "Hello again," she nodded back politely.

"What are you doing here?" Takane asked.

"We were just in the area and decided to have a look around. When we heard your voice we decided to come see what was going on," Naruto told her.

Her attention fully on Naruto, Negi took this opportunity to grab Nodoka by the wrist and begun to sneak away.

"Well we were just- Ah! Where did those two go?" the bond high school girl shouted once she noticed the pair weren't where she left them.

Glancing left and right she spotted the two 30 feet away.

Noticing that they had been spotted, Negi took a huge leap into the air, pulling Nodoka with him and carrying her bridal style.

She smiled as she flew through the air in his arms. _'Negi-sensei is so cool!'_

"What does he think he's doing?" Takane thundered. "Come one Mei, we have to chase after them!" she ordered. "Naruto-kun, I expect you to resume your duties," she warned before setting off at a run.

With that, Asuna and the rest came out of hiding. At once, the five began to charge after him.

"What was with that blond woman?" was Haruna's immediate question, her voice laced with annoyance. She pinned Naruto with a piercing gaze and refused to back down.

"She has her reasons for interrupting the date," Naruto told her. Setsuna reluctantly nodded her head in agreement.

"No, I don't mean that! What was with her attitude towards you?" Haruna asked.

Naruto shrugged. "I dunno. She seems to know me from before the first time I remember meeting her."

"Hmm," Haruna began to contemplate. "This'll be interesting."

Meanwhile the Kotaro clone had failed to follow and instead began to wander away; he wanted to disperse out of sight. As a consequence, all of the real Naruto's memories and experiences of the day were transferred to the other clones.

A few moments later the World Tree's glow intensified.

* * *

Negi landed lightly before gently lowering Nodoka to her feet.

"I'm sorry about that," he panted, doubled over to try and catch his breath.

"Who were they?"

"They're my co-workers, I guess," he answered, straightening up to look her in the eyes. Then, he quickly bowed his head in apology. "I'm so sorry; we were having such a nice time too; it's all my fault."

"No, no," she hurriedly tried to correct him. "There's nothing for you to apolo-"

"I know!" he interrupted her. "Please, tell me if there is anything I can do to make up for it?"

"Make it up to me?" she asked confusedly.

"Anything!" he pressed. "You just name it and I'll do it! For you, I'll even use magic!"

"If-if it's okay, I-I want a d-deep kiss with Sensei," she said shyly. "Before was an accident. That's why, I think another will be more romantic."

"Eh?" he made this little noise as those words sunk in. And then for Negi, the world went white. His last thought before blacking out was _'I-I didn't notice where we were. This is…!'_

_

* * *

_

"Shit," Naruto cursed. He nodded to Setsuna, which she returned as they sped up.

Asuna too kept pace, though Konoka and Haruna quickly began to fall behind.

"Can you jump?" Setsuna asked Asuna.

"'Jump?' As in what we've been practising? You know I've never done it right before."

"There's always a first time for everything," Naruto encouraged.

"I know you can do it; you have great talent, and if you use the Pactio card to boost it, I'm sure you can make it," Setsuna told her as they continued to run.

After a brief moment of hesitation, she nodded. They turned a corner, out of sight of the trailing Haruna and Konoka, and they jumped.

All three made it on to the rooftop easily, just in time to spot a spear of light pierce the air several buildings over. Immediately they began to jump in that direction.

As they approached that particular rooftop, suddenly Asuna lunged, drawing forth her fan. She swung, forcing Negi back from Nodoka. He'd been holding the girl close, their lips getting closer when Asuna interrupted.

"Hey Negi, you idiot! What are you trying to pull?" Asuna yelled as she came to a skidding halt, Naruto and Setsuna landing right beside her.

Negi stumbled back slightly away from the attack, but recovered quickly. His eyes were half-lidded, and he looked dazed like he wasn't fully in control of his actions.

"Negi! What's wrong with you?"

"It's like he's under a spell!" Setsuna yelled. "Is this part of the World Tree's magic!"

Meanwhile, Naruto turned his attention to Nodoka. He gave a small smile as he handed her back her Artefact. "Sorry about taking this," he said, scratching the back of his head. "But really, it's an amazing Artefact. You should be proud of it."

"Th-thank you," she replied somewhat shyly, unused to being complemented on something like this. For her studies yes, but not much else.

"Hey! Front and centre!" Asuna ordered, gesturing for the blond to stand beside her and Setsuna.

"Jo-chan! This is important. What did you ask of Aniki? This doesn't seem like the result of a confession."

"I-I can't tell you that," she shrunk in to herself, unwilling to answer.

"It was a deep kiss," Naruto answered for her.

"A _deep_ kiss?"

Immediately, Honya flushed beat red.

Negi didn't give them much time to digest this news though, as he suddenly appeared next to Naruto. "Will you stand aside?" he half asked half ordered.

"Oi, Negi, snap out of it!" Naruto yelled.

"Please, you have to wake up!" Setsuna joined in.

"Are you opposing me?" he asked calmly "If that's how you want it," he began to attack, starting with a simple palm thrust which forced both Naruto and Setsuna back. His voice was a monotone, displaying none of his emotions. That palm thrust quickly became a combo of punches and elbows, forcing Naruto back.

"His mind's completely blank!" Naruto noted as he blocked the last punch.

"He doesn't have to think to fight!" Setsuna yelled back.

"What's wrong with him?" Asuna asked.

"Can't you tell just by looking? He won't stop until he kisses Jo-chan!"

"Wha?"

"I say we let him do it!" Chamo blushed a furious red over his white fur, excited by this turn of events.

"How about no!" Naruto answered, delivering a punch to the blank eyed Negi that knocked him back a few feet. It barely even fazed him, and Negi simply resumed a stance.

"I agree with blondie! No way!"

"I-I don't mind," Nodoka shyly admitted.

"Like hell! Look at him. Look into those eyes."

Nodoka did so. What she saw there was nothing but single minded determination to kiss her.

"He'll suffocate you!" Asuna finished, causing Nodoka to pale.

"Like you can object!" Chamo called out to Naruto. "You've kissed about five different women since you got here, most from 3-A."

"What!" Asuna screeched.

"Hey, they kissed me! And why are you bringing this up now?" Naruto asked as he ducked under Negi's elbow. "Geez Negi, you've gotten good."

Naruto had long been using chakra to boost his speed, and while he was faster, Negi was giving him a run for his money.

Then, Negi pulled out his wand. "_Flans Exarmatio!"_ he enchanted; seeing this, Naruto quickly pulled back and went through a quick set of hand-seals.

"**Suiton: Mizurappa"** Naruto countered with, spewing forth water to stop the wave of the spell. The two clashed in mid-air, cancelling each other out.

Then he began to go through a new set of seals, and before Negi could go too far, he spat a torrent of water onto the ground. "**Suiton: Mizuame Nabara."**

Negi ran across the viscous fluid. Except he began to slow as the liquid stuck him to the spot.

"There," Naruto grinned. "Now we can stop and think."

"Well done," Setsuna complimented.

"I can't believe you've been going around kissing all my classmates," Asuna angrily muttered.

"Not all of them. Only… how many did you say?" he asked Chamo. "I only remember four."

"You don't even know!"

"What do you want from me?" he asked back defensively. It wasn't like he initiated any of the kisses. "I can only remember Keade, Mana, Fuuka and Haruna."

"Geez!" she huffed. "Why don't you just kiss us all; that way you'd be able to keep track!" she shouted. For some reason, this really pissed her off.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth though, the World Tree began to glow once again.

They all looked at the World Tree, and then turned to Naruto, who was looking at Asuna with an expression of disbelief. "Ah, this is what they meant. Thanks Asuna," he said sarcastically as he recalled Chamo's and Negi's earlier warning.

He looked straight into Asuna's eyes as her jaw dropped open and her eyes widened. The others were glancing between them, unsure what to do.

And then Naruto's world went white.

* * *

A/N: Okay, first of all my thanks to Dangaro and Lazruth, who are my new Beta-readers. Good job guys.

**C Rank - Suiton: Mizuame Nabara -** Water Release: Syrup Capture Field. The user spits out a sticky high-viscosity liquid which forms an adhesive trap.

That's the final water Jutsu Naruto knows. He still has one more wind jutsu, which someone already guessed the identity of.

I'm sure some of you recognised the dance Chao did. If you didn't, too bad.

Oh, and the return of Naruko! She was always going to make an appearance, but it wasn't going to be until later. Then I had this idea and ran with it.


	23. Festival: Day 1  31 Targets

A/N: A word about clones. I see Kage Bunshin as being different from the elemental clones. To me, the elemental clones have only a fraction of the original's strength, as in at one fifth strength, it would take five clones to match the original. However, Shadow clones are slightly different. They have only a fraction of the original's power. What I mean by that is, say a 50 percent clone took on the 100 percent original. It would be only a little weaker than the original, but would only be able to go at full strength for half as long.

A quick warning; it won't be 'Kissing Terminator' as you are picturing it. In the original, Negi only used violence once he had violence used against him. He was reactive.

Also, some of you were slightly surprised Naruto was affected by the World Tree because a lot of its power is from Naruto. To me, that was the reason it could affect him. It was so similar that his natural blocks just accepted it. You'll see shortly how it doesn't quite brainwash him.

* * *

There was only one thing to say as the World Tree's glow intensified and a spear of light engulfed Naruto and pierced the sky.

"Whoops," Asuna said nervously, slightly drawn into herself. She glanced at Setsuna and Chamo, who were both staring at her, the former in horror and the latter in shock.

"All of 3-A? Really?" Setsuna spoke, her voice two octaves higher than usual.

"I didn't mean to!" Asuna shouted defensively. "Well, it's magic right? He might revert back to normal if I manage to hit him with my _Harisen._ Then we can get Negi and he'll be back to normal too."

"Flans Exarmatio!" Negi called, his wand pointed at his feet as the magic tore into the sticky goo Naruto had sprayed on to the ground, disintegrating it and freeing himself.

As the light died down around the blond, and Negi jumped over what remained of the goo, Asuna got her first glimpse of Naruto's eyes. They were blank and unthinking, just like Negi's.

"Kiss every member of 3-A? Got it," he nodded.

As one, both boys moved forward towards Asuna. Or more specifically, Negi moved towards Nodoka who was standing behind the rosette, while Naruto went for the red headed girl himself.

"Adeat," Asuna called, the card in her hand transforming into her _Harisen_ with a flash of light.

Negi tried to speed past her, but Asuna stopped him cold; he quickly responded with a punch followed by an elbow, finished with an over head kick that forced her back. She continued to block his blows with her _Harisen_, even as she was forced back.

Meanwhile, Naruto was stopped by Setsuna as the swordswoman intercepted him mid run.

Deprived of her sword, she engaged him in hand to hand combat.

He blocked all of her attacks with ease – she was a little out of practice in hand to hand combat, and against Naruto's superior speed and power, she couldn't keep up.

He returned her punches in rapid succession, causing her to fall back.

Then, she noticed he'd over-extended himself. She struck immediately, grabbing his wrist so she could flip him over and onto his back.

She twisted, but he didn't budge. She looked down towards his feet and they were stuck fast.

He grabbed her in turn, pulling her into his arms with a twirl. Before she could retaliate, he'd seized her other wrist.

In each hand he held one of Setsuna's wrists, her arms crossed in front of her and her back to Naruto's chest.

She twisted her neck to face the blond, only to find his blank eyes looking straight into hers as his face grew closer.

She blushed as she felt his breath on her lips. Just before contact, she turned her head away causing him to stop as he tried to reposition himself.

Then he suddenly let go as he ducked beneath Asuna's _Harisen_, and the winged woman jumped away.

Seeing Asuna going at it with Naruto, the swordswoman refocused her attention on Negi as he went for Nodoka. She had to quickly jump between the two, only to have blows rained on her by Negi.

These strikes were easier to deal with than Naruto's, though they still forced her back. Counter attack opportunities were few and far between, and the blank minded Negi blocked them with ease.

Twisting to the right, Naruto just barely managed to dodge Asuna's second strike, and then found himself ducking under the third; a horizontal slash.

Naruto tackled the bells wearing girl to the ground while she was open from the slash; straddling her, the shinobi lowered his face to hers for a kiss. Unwilling to let that happen, she punched him in the stomach, causing him to back away from the downed girl. Her legs suddenly free, she followed it up with a kick, which he caught easily.

Still, he leapt back when she took another swipe at him. Then he seemed to stop and consider something; the next thing Asuna knew, he'd brought his hands into a familiar seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he called as thirty clones popped into existence, giving a total of 31 Narutos.

One of them raised his arm up and brought it down quickly, a signal for 28 of the clones to disappear, leaving three blonds on the roof top with Negi and the girls.

"Setsuna-san! What do we do?" Asuna yelled.

"If we beat the real one Naruto-nii's clones should disappear!" Chamo answered her.

"Well, that's not going to be hard," the fan-wielding girl spat out sarcastically.

* * *

01 – Sayo, 03 – Asakura, 19 – Chao.

The three Narutos landed silently in the darkened alleyway.

There they found Sayo and Asakura standing opposite Chao.

"I see you've come," Chao began. "Does this mean you've agreed to join me?"

"I've agreed to listen to what you have to say, but-" Asakura was saying, before her Chinese classmate interrupted her.

"Naruto-kun?" Chao was the first one to notice him, causing the ghost and reporter to twirl to face him.

"What are you doing here, Naruto-sensei?" Sayo asked.

"I want a kiss," he stated plainly.

"A kiss! Really!" Sayo seemed excited by the possibility, while Asakura frowned. Chao's eyes had widened in surprise, and her mouth had curved into a grimace.

"He's under the influence of the World Tree," Chao immediately noted. "He must have been ordered to kiss Aisaka-san."

"Not just her. All of 3-A," Naruto's lifeless voice informed them.

Then, quick as a flash, there was one Naruto in front of each girl.

Neither Sayo nor Asakura resisted, though Chao knocked the clone's arm away as he got close.

"You've got to try and become solid for me, alright," the Naruto clone whispered into Sayo's ear. "I know you can do it," it told her. Its voice was husky, full of need, and Sayo found herself trying her hardest to comply.

"I'll help you," it continued, and then she was suddenly enveloped in a warm, golden aura; the closer his body got, the more intense and pleasant the sensation became. It felt like standing in the sun light on a summer's day.

She wanted this kiss, so badly. And then, just for a second, she felt it; his arms around her body, the feel of his chest on her palms. In that moment, it struck, pressing its warm, soft lips against hers.

It felt so good tears began to well up in her eyes. And then the moment was lost and she became once more like a wraith, intangible and unfeeling.

Asakura smirked. "If we're going to do this, we'll do it properly." She grabbed his arms and re-positioned them. She put one arm around her body, the hand flat on her back and supporting her, the other hand on her ass. Then, she grabbed him by the collar and pulled.

Their lips mashed together roughly, and Naruto began to unconsciously massage her posterior. Her tongue slipped into his mouth, and he began to run his own tongue against hers. Then it went further, the clone slipping its tongue into her mouth.

She moaned as the kiss grew more and more intense. And then its hands began to move, the one on her back began to trail to her front and massage one of her breasts. The other hand, the one on her ass, began to move lower before it started to lightly stroke her inner thigh with its pinky and ring finger while the middle, index and thumb continued to fondle her butt.

He picked her up and pressed her against the wall for leverage as his hand slipped lower, and then under her uniform top and then back up her stomach.

That was when she finally broke the kiss, her head swimming due to the need for air and the heat that that kiss had unleashed.

Her heart was hammering and the feeling of Naruto's hand on her bare skin burned.

Sure, she was expecting the kiss, but that had been more than she could have dreamed for her first one. Frankly, she had just been doing it for fun, and now was no longer sure just how far she was willing to take this.

And then her mind began to clear, and she shook her head violently to try and dislodge any stray thoughts.

Naruto had withdrawn his hands and had backed away, his face still devoid of emotion.

'_Man, that guy's a good kisser,'_ she thought, right before the body in front of her popped into smoke.

The one that had stood by Sayo had also vanished, leaving the pale girl dazed and crying.

Kasumi turned to Chao, who was still dodging around the final Naruto.

She was fighting him off valiantly, but in the end it was a losing battle.

With a lunge, he ducked under her defence and planted a kiss on the corner of her mouth. That was as far as he got before an upper cut sent him flying back.

He popped just like the other two.

"What was that?" Asakura shouted out.

"I already told you-ne. He was under the World Tree's influence to kiss us."

"I got that part! I just wasn't expecting it to be so… so… so intense!" Asakura blurted out, blushing furiously.

"I just hope that peck was enough to satisfy him from me."

"I thought I was two minutes away from losing my virginity," the reporter continued to mutter. "Ah!" she turned her attention to her crying friend. "Are you alright?" she cried out, kneeling down and wrapping her arm around the girl to comfort her.

"It felt so good," she said, tears spilling forth. "He felt so good. I…I want to feel again," she finally screeched

"I know," her friend tried to comfort her. "I know."

Looking on, Chao said nothing.

* * *

Blocking another slash by Asuna, this time with his bare hands, Naruto went in again for another kiss.

Then six Magical lances hit the ground between them, forcing him back.

Out of the corner of Asuna's eye, she spotted another seven lances separate Negi from Setsuna and another five stopping the other two Naruto's; they'd only been held back so far by Setsuna's expert use of her Magical knives.

"3 down, 28 to go," Naruto stated, causing Asuna's eyes to narrow.

* * *

A squad of eight Narutos headed straight for the Haunted House. They did so silently, hidden completely from sight.

One by one, they slipped into the 3-A room where the people were being scared. All but two blonds entered through the back door.

One of the two clones walked to the front door where he found both Yuna and Sakurako. They were continually greeting people as they entered the Haunted House.

* * *

02 – Yuna.

The clone approached naturally, a small smile on its face that did nothing to hide the blank eyes it still possessed.

Of the two, only Yuna noticed it approach. She smiled at the sight of her teacher, but before she could shout out, it placed its finger to its lips, signalling her to keep her silence.

It walked into the entrance of the Haunted House; a simple nod of the head signalled her to follow.

Yuna followed after a moments hesitation, throwing a quick glance at Sakurako; she hadn't noticed either Naruto yet and was still greeting costumers.

Walking into the entrance area, where the three doors that lead into the Haunted House proper were located, she frowned when she noticed Akira and Madoka were missing. They were supposed to be manning the doors.

Naruto didn't seem to see anything wrong with this, and turned to her.

"You wanted to see me Sensei?" she asked with a smile.

"I want to kiss you," Naruto replied without preamble.

"Kiss?" she thought out loud. She was slightly confused, but didn't particularly mind. After all, she did that kind of thing with her father all the time. "Sure," she finally shrugged.

The blond ninja stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her hips while she wrapped her arms around his neck. He leaned over her, lowering his head for a kiss.

She hesitated. This wasn't what she had expected when she'd agreed to a kiss. He was looming over her slightly, his hands on her body and his thumbs lightly tracing the bare skin on her sides, raising goose bumps on her skin; it was all much more intimate than she'd been expecting.

Then his lips met hers, and he began to passionately kiss her. With a mental shrug, she returned the kiss with her usual vigour.

After few moments, she broke the kiss with a smile on her face, licking her lips.

"Nice!" she cheered. "Listen!" she began, grabbing his shirt before he could move away. "I was wondering if you wanted to go hang out around the festival on the Third day."

"Er," the clone hesitated. It was only told to kiss them all, but now it was being asked questions. Finally, with its eyes still blank, it shrugged. "Sure. Just remind me of the place and time later, okay. I have to go," he told her, before disappearing through one of the doors.

Yuna heard a muted pop from behind the door, just as it closed with a click.

With renewed cheer, she headed back out into the corridor.

There, she found a dazed Sakurako with a huge smile on her face. All around them, the costumers and other bystanders were in mute shock, staring at a spot by the window. The same window that Naruto jumped out of earlier, she recalled.

"Are you alright?" Yuna shook Sakurako by the shoulder lightly to snap her out of her daze.

Sakurako jumped slightly in fright, before her face quickly turned crimson. "Best. Day. Ever." she giggled happily.

* * *

05 – Ako.

In the darkened corridor, Ako didn't notice Naruto approach until he was standing right beside her. They were in the middle corridor with Misa and the twins, though those three were in another part of the corridor, laying in wait for the next passing person.

Ako was one of the girls involved in scaring anybody that came through. They were majorly understaffed after the trip to the auction; Makie and Ayaka had both ditched, the former right after the auction, the latter hours ago, after Negi and Kotaro had come to visit.

Natsumi, Ako's partner in the Haunted House, had gone to Drama Club to practice for her play.

Zazie and Chao had gone somewhere, no one knew where.

Eva and Naruko had gone somewhere 'to play', as Naruko had put it, while Kuu Fei had gone to practice for an exhibition of her martial arts.

When Naruto tapped Ako on the shoulder, she jumped into the air with a scream that caused Naruto to back off a few steps.

When she spun around to face him, the boy who tapped her on the shoulder was far off in the darkest part of the area.

In some part of her brain, she knew that she should probably be afraid of the man that was hidden in the shadows, but for some reason she was completely calm.

"Nagi-san?" she hesitantly guessed.

Hidden in the shadows, Naruto shrugged. A simple seal later, and he stepped out of the darkest shadow so Ako could definitely identify him as Nagi.

"Hello Ako-san," Nagi greeted.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed as Nagi continued walking up to her.

He stopped just before her. "I just wanted to say that I'm looking forward to your concert," he said with a smile. "And to do this," he continued, planting a light kiss on her lips that sent her heart racing and caused her face to blaze. For a moment, her mind went blank at the unexpected contact.

Then he simply broke the kiss and backed away to disappear within the shadows.

A popping sound woke her up, causing to Ako blink out of her stunned state. "Nagi-san," she softly called, only to be met by silence.

Ako looked around the gloom and found no one.

'_Did I doze off?_' she thought to herself. Her lips were still tingling slightly from the sensation, and Ako was struggling with herself over just how real it was. _'Was I just dreaming?'_

"It was a good dream," she finally sighed softly.

* * *

06 – Akira.

Akira was standing outside the three entrances with Madoka when the door directly behind her creaked open; she turned to investigate to find her blond sensei stood just behind the door. With a crook of his finger he signalled her to go though the door. Opening her mouth to ask what was going on, he quickly shushed her.

Giving a meaningful glance to Madoka, he slowly shook his head.

Akira frowned, but complied anyway. The door closed with a click behind her, leading her into the shadows beyond.

"Why did you ask me to come here Sensei?" the tall girl asked.

"I want to kiss you," Naruto looked her directly in the eyes as he told her this.

He'd stepped right before her as he spoke; uncomfortably close in Akira's opinion.

They were about the same height, with her having maybe half an inch on him, so Naruto had to go up on his toes a little as he leant to whisper into her ear.

"Sorry," he told her, his voice full of need. "I can't resist you any longer."

"But we hardly know each other," she protested.

"You're kind, calm and beautiful," he told her hastily, wrapping his arms around her.

One arm went around her waist, while the other wrapped around her upper body, his hand in her hair.

She reddened at his words, still silent as he tipped her and brought his lips to hers.

Her protests died on her lips at the contact; her first kiss had been taken by her hot teacher.

Then his tongue brushed against her lips and her mouth opened in surprise. That opening was all he needed to slip his own tongue in.

The unwelcome intrusion caused her eyes to widen; instantly she pushed him away with enough force to send him stumbling back. Unfortunately, tipped as she was, the loss of his support caused her to fall to the ground.

She quickly recovered to find Naruto disappearing down the corridor. She quickly chased after him, only to find nothing but air; far ahead, the sound of a distant pop echoed.

Not willing to let this stand, Akira charged right through the Haunted House and out the other end; there was still no sign of him. The swimmer frantically questioned anybody nearby, only to find that none of them had seen him go past either.

Slowly, she took a deep relaxing breath to calm herself down. And then Akira immediately flushed as the feeling of his lips against hers flashed through her mind.

* * *

07 – Misa.

Waiting in the dark was rather boring, especially when her closest friends were elsewhere. Madoka was on escort duty and Sakurako had been at the front with Yuna, greeting people all day long.

"Hey Misa," Naruto greeted, catching her attention.

She'd been so spaced out waiting for someone to come that she'd been missed it when it actually happened.

"Naruto-sensei," she blinked. "What are you doing here? And without an escort?" she looked behind him to see no one.

"I came her to see you," he told her.

"What do you want with me?" she asked teasingly.

"Your lips," he responded.

She let out a small laugh at this. "Really now, I have a boyfriend," she told him, though he and she weren't very serious. It had been over a month since they last spoke to each.

"I don't care," Naruto replied, taking one of her hands in his and placing the other arm around her possessively.

That was the first indication for Misa that he wasn't joking and that he really was about to kiss her.

Then his warm lips met hers and she no longer cared. He was a hot older guy who was throwing himself at her. She wasn't going to refuse.

With that thought, she moved her free hand around him, taking a firm grip of his ass in her hands.

The moment dragged on for what seemed like a hot and needy eternity before the elder teen broke the kiss.

"Oh my, you're a good kisser," she sighed.

Naruto smiled at the compliment as he let go of her hand and backed away, only to disappear into the darkness.

"Naruto-sensei," the purple haired girl called out, only to be met with a popping sound.

He was gone.

* * *

11 – Madoka.

When she heard a door click closed behind her, Madoka turned to find herself alone in front of the three doors that lead into the different sections of the Haunted House.

She was wearing a black sailor uniform with a long skirt, the same as Misa, Akira, the twins, Asakura and, unknown to her, Sayo.

Then the door behind her opened with a bang. She span around to find Naruto standing in the doorway.

"Sorry, need to talk," he yelled out, tugging her into the corridor on the other side of the door.

After the door closed with a slam, she found herself alone in the dark with the blond.

"What do you want, Naruto-sensei?" she asked harshly.

"I want to kiss you," he told her simply.

"K-Kiss," she recoiled in shock.

"Yes, a kiss," he repeated, this time much more insistent.

"But why would you want to kiss me?" she asked. "I'm just a tomboy," she muttered dejectedly.

It had always been an annoyance; her body, her hair, her voice, all of it gave her a boyish appearance even though her personality was what you would call rather girly.

Suddenly he smiled. "Tomboy's are cute too," he told her, stepping into her space to plant his lips on hers.

He placed one hand on her lower back and the other on the back of her head, deepening the kiss.

Madoka's eyes widened in surprise at the passion that infused the kiss, and for a moment she struggled to back away, briefly pushing against his chest before she finally just relaxed and let the pleasurable feeling wash over her. Her hands fisted in his shirt as the kiss continued.

She let out a little moan of contentment as the hand on her back began to move up and down her spine.

Finally, she squeaked in surprise as that same hand came to a rest cupping her ass.

Finally, after a full minute, Naruto broke the kiss.

Panting, Madoka struggled to focus her gaze on Naruto, who simply smiled at her.

He backed away slowly, giving her ass one final squeeze before completely disengaging. "You are so sexy when you moan," he told her lustfully as his fingers left her body.

With one final smile, he disappeared into the murky Haunted House. With a pop, he was gone.

* * *

17 – Sakurako.

"Alright, here you go!" Sakurako smiled, handing the next teenage boy his change. "If you'll just wait one second while-" she stopped as she turned. Expecting to see her energetic friend Yuna behind her, there was instead her blond crush, Naruto-sensei. "Naruto-sensei!" she shouted out joyfully.

"Hey Sakurako," he smiled.

"What are you doing here? Have you come to help out?"

Naruto shook his head as he continued to approach, and soon Sakurako found herself blushing due to his proximity. She swore she could feel the heat from his body.

"No, I just came here for this," he told her before suddenly capturing her lips with his own.

The kiss was sudden but not unwelcome, and the energetic girl didn't feel like resisting. She still flushed red when his lips made contact though.

Then his arms wrapped around her possessively and the kiss deepened, his tongue stealing into her mouth.

One of his hands made its way to her cup her ass and lift her slightly closer to him, while the other wrapped all the way around her body and his fingers gripping one of her breasts, even as he pressed their bodies together.

She wasted no time in grabbing his head, rubbing her fingers through his soft golden hair, deepening the kiss even more.

The hand on her posterior was playing against bare skin due to her skimpy outfit, caressing, massaging and grabbing at random.

The one on her breast gently fondled her.

The various sensations from his hands and his tongue caused her to audibly moan into his mouth.

Then, with a final squeeze, he relaxed his hold on her.

She unconsciously groaned in annoyance at the broken contact; she was breathless and panting.

With a smirk, Naruto backed away and to the nearby window, still open from earlier. "See you later cutie," he winked before falling backwards out the window, popping in mid air.

That was how Yuna found her moments later, still dazed and smiling.

* * *

22 – Fuuka, 23 – Fumika.

Both twins sat up in the rafters, waiting for people to pass below them. Their job was to scare whoever walked below them by hanging upside down from the rafters to surprise them.

What they found instead were two twin like Narutos. They were walking together, carefully scanning their surroundings.

"Woooow," Fuuka breathed. "He has a twin," she stated with a hint of awe.

"It's a clone like Kaede-nee-chan makes," Fumika told her, her tone suggesting that her sister was an idiot.

"That's right, Fumika-chan," one of the Naruto's stated, both of them looking up at the pair. "Good eye," he complimented.

Both clones jumped up and onto the rafters to join the twins. The Narutakis sat next to each other, while the Uzumakis sat on the outside.

"I came for a kiss," Naruto who sat next to Fuuka stated easily.

"Really?" Fuuka's eyes shone with happiness in the gloom.

"Wha?" the younger twin's mouth hung open in surprise.

"I said," the other clone answered, "I want to kiss you."

So saying, they both placed a hand on one of the twins' hands. Gently and in tandem, the clones guided the twins faces so they were looking into a pair of dull blue eyes.

Fuuka leaned into the kiss without hesitation, enjoying the feel of his lips on hers.

Fumika was more hesitant, but neither did she back away. She blushed in the dark as their mouths connected.

Then, moments later the clones disengaged, leaving Fuuka to pout and Fumika to sigh, her face a uniform red.

Then the blonds popped into smoke, leaving the red heads alone in the dark.

"Aww, I was hoping for more," the elder twin sulked.

Meanwhile, the younger sibling continued to sigh, her mind lingering on the sweet kiss.

* * *

Takane and Mei landed lightly in front of Nodoka, Asuna and Setsuna, between them and the two (four) boys. Sixteen of Takane's shadow summons surrounded the girls protectively as they faced off against the boys.

"You both disappoint me," the blond mage scoffed. "This is exactly the kind of thing you should have stopped."

"You're in the way," Negi intoned.

"You surprised us yesterday, but the result won't be the sam-"

She was interrupted as both Negi and Naruto _moved_. The former's limbs were covered in lightning as he charged, delivering an elbow to one of the shadow creatures, knocking it back.

A quick combo sent another four flying into the air.

The blond ninja wasn't far behind, delivering a palm strike to another two shadows, and then following up with a spinning kick that destroyed three more.

He didn't waste anymore time as he vaulted over Negi's head and towards the 3-A girls, just as Negi finished casting _Flans Exarmatio_ right in the middle of the group, destroying the shadows and stripping Takane and Mei, as well as popping the two Naruto clones who got caught up in the blast.

The two girls immediately crouched down to cover themselves and protect their modesty with a scream.

"11 down, 20 to go," Naruto informed them, the smoke from Negi's magic blowing behind him.

Negi stepped out of that same smoke, his eyes practically glowing, a black bra hanging off his ear.

"This… isn't going well," Setsuna allowed.

"It doesn't matter! I'm not just about to let those two have their way. They'll have to beat us if they want a kiss!"

The World Tree glowed, accepting the new conditions, at least for Negi.

"I see. So defeat means kiss. Understood," he nodded.

Naruto said nothing, not even acknowledging the condition.

"Asuna-san! Don't say anything else; you're just making it worse!" the winged swordsman yelled, two knives in her hands and another half a dozen floating around her.

"Sorry, sorry," the red head responded.

* * *

04 – Yue.

With a relaxed smile, Naruto approached the table where Negi and Yue sat at; Kotaro stood just beside them.

"Yo," he casually greeted.

"Aniki," Kotaro returned.

Meanwhile, Chamo whispered something to Negi, causing the boy to tense.

"Good evening Naruto-sensei. How are you enjoying the festival?"

"Oh, I'm loving it!" he responded, his blue eyes bright as he grinned.

"What are you holding?" Yue asked, inclining her head to his hands.

"Oh, ice lollies!" Naruto cheerfully replied.

There were two lollies, each with two sticks, one on either side of the lolly; they were also thinner down the middle so that you could snap them to share.

He split them both into two and handed one to each person in front of him.

The two boys took theirs with a grateful smile; Kotaro immediately began to chomp his down, while Negi was content to suck on his and let it melt in his mouth.

Yue took hers with no change in expression and slowly began to eat it.

"Thanks," Kotaro said as he finished his with a crunch. "Sea-salt is a great flavour."

"No problem," Naruto replied, his own ice lolly being slowly decimated, lick by lick.

"You know, these things mean a lot to me," he began sombrely.

"How so?" Yue asked.

"When I was 12, my Master took me to the first festival where I wasn't shunned. Everywhere I looked, families were laughing, having fun playing; I felt so alone."

"Then, after I wandered around for awhile, I saw a father share an ice lolly with his son, just like this. It really depressed me."

"After that, I continued my training. I was trying to learn the Rasengan, and was having trouble with the second stage, Power. Ero-Sennin helped me by drawing a little swirl on the palm of my hand, as a hint. Concentration was the key."

"That day, he brought an ice lolly just like this," Naruto brandished his half eaten frozen treat with a smile. "Right then, it really felt like we were family."

Kotaro nodded his head with a melancholic expression, while Negi bowed his head, understanding far more deeply the meaning behind Naruto's story and the gift than Negi's half demon friend.

"Thank you," the 10 year earnestly told him.

The blond shinobi nodded his head with a smile.

Yue silently watched the exchange

A silence fell on the group for a moment; "Did you see the World Tree glow a few minutes ago, Aniki?"

Naruto turned to regard the half demon. "Yeah, but I have no idea what's going on," he shrugged.

"Er, I do," Chamo hesitantly began. "And we should be expecting company any minute."

"What do you mean?" Yue asked.

"I mean him," Chamo pointed behind Naruto and Kotaro, straight at another Naruto.

This one's eyes were blank as it stared at the people around the table.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked the clone.

"I came to kiss Yue," it replied.

"Wha?" the shorter girl's usually deadpan expression morphed into one of shock.

"How come you want to kiss Yue!" Naruto asked his fellow clone.

"I was told to," it shrugged before rushing forward.

Naruto stopped his mirror image cold, catching its fist in his own hand. Kotaro clawed at the clones face, but it bent backwards, dodging the blow.

Negi followed up with an over head kick, but the clone rolled out of the way; the missed blow left cracks in the ground.

With a leg sweep, the clone knocked Kotaro's feet out from beneath him, but he recovered quickly, a handstand allowing him to regain his balance and flip back onto his feet.

Exchanging matching blows, the two Narutos were perfectly balanced.

One clone had been created nearly 12 hours ago, and so had been expending chakra all day. The other was much newer, but had been created with a smaller pool, making them about equal.

The two younger boys nodded to each other, and simultaneously preformed a spinning heel kick aimed at the back of the attacking clone's head.

It noticed the attack out of the corner of its eyes and ducked forward, allowing the two legs to go over its head and straight at the defending clone.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, and the blow forced him to lean back to dodge.

With the defending Naruto off balance, the attacking clone rushed forward, easily slipping past its counter-part from its more advantageous position, pumping all its chakra to its legs for speed. Its lips crashed roughly against Yue's forehead, just before it popped, all of its energy expended.

"Whoa you're fast!" Kotaro exclaimed.

"No," Naruto shook his head. "He used all his energy for that and it broke him; if the Boss tried it, his leg muscles would shred. That would be like, three days of rest, maybe even one day in the hospital," Naruto shuddered.

"Are you alright, Yue-san?" Negi asked.

"I'm fine," Yue stoically answered, wiping the saliva from her forehead. "Thank you for your help."

"No problem," the three replied in tandem.

"Now, Naruto-sensei, I wanted to continue our last conversation," Baka Black continued on, putting the near loss of her first kiss out of her mind.

* * *

09 – Misora.

Walking on the top of the roof were two nuns. Both were wearing the full black nun habit, the hood covering their heads leaving only their faces visible.

One was approximately 5 foot, 4 inches tall, while the other was much shorter, only coming up to the other nun's chest.

Both girls were simply stood still, making no move to do anything about the World Tree situation.

"Geez," the taller of the two sighed, "I hope there's no permanent damage. What do you think Cocone?" she asked her shorter friend.

The girl turned to regard her companion; she had red eyes that gave off a continual expression of boredom or sleepiness, chocolate brown skin and a small mouth. Although you couldn't see it with her habit hood up, she also had long, pure black hair.

"I think we should go check it out."

"I don't wanna," the taller girl immediately whined.

"Don't worry Misora," Naruto's voice came from behind the two, "its nothing for you to worry about."

They quickly turned to face the blond newcomer, an expression of surprise on their faces. They hadn't sensed him at all!

"Misora? Who is this Misora you speak of?" Misora began to play dumb.

And then Naruto vanished from sight, only to reappear directly in front of her.

"You think I can't recognise you? You can't escape my sight so easily," he said, pulling down her hood to expose her short cropped red hair.

Completely busted, she continued to feign ignorance anyway. "I still don-" Naruto cut her off by placing a finger on her lips.

"I'm just here for a kiss," he told her.

"A kiss?" she asked incredulously.

"He's under the World Tree's influence," Cocone noted.

"Ah, well, I guess there's only one thing to do," she seemed to sigh. "Adeat!" she yelled, pulling out a Pactio card that immediately transformed into a pair of sneakers.

With out missing a beat, she ran at speeds no normal human could keep up with.

"Do you want to kiss me?" Cocone asked.

"Not particularly," Naruto responded. "But I will if you ask."

"That's alright."

The shinobi nodded his head at that. With nothing else to say, Naruto disappeared to chase down his target.

Misora run full out over the Mahora roof tops, using all her speed to get away.

Suddenly she jumped down and into an alleyway, emerging onto the busy street. Hopefully he wouldn't be able to find her here.

Except, right in front of her, Naruto was waiting.

It turned to regard her with a smile and a wave. Paling, the short haired girl turned tail and ran. In her haste, she didn't notice the fact that this Naruto was wearing blue pants and a dark orange jacket; not the black pants and jacket her pursuer was wearing.

The Naruto's expression morphed into one of confusion. "I guess Misora's busy," he shrugged, turning back to the shooting game.

He wouldn't stop until he won that Gekota plushy!

Hiding in an alleyway again, Misora closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath. Her heart was thundering from the shock. _'How did he catch up to me so fast?'_ she asked herself.

Hearing footsteps, Misora opened her eyes to find that Naruto was standing at the entrance, blocking that route of escape from her.

She didn't waste any time jumping back onto the roof to run, except this time he was right behind her.

Slowly, slowly the blond caught up, and with a final leap, tackled her to the ground.

At the speed they were moving at, this was a recipe for disaster.

Closing her eyes, she flinched away from the expected pain as they bounced and skidded against the ground. She felt only muted shocks rip through her body.

She could feel herself come to a stop.

Felling returned to her slowly; it didn't take long for her to notice that there were two arms wrapped around her protectively, cushioning her from the blow. When she opened her eyes, she found a banged up blond holding her tightly to his chest.

"Wha?" she let out.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She nodded in response. "Ah, that's great!" he cheered.

"Wha?" she repeated.

"Sorry about that, but I have to kiss you."

"Then why did you protect me like this?" she asked in amazement. It would be much easier to kiss her if she was hurt.

"I may have to kiss you, but I don't want to see you hurt," he told, before gently placing his lips on hers. He backed off a moment later. "I'd never hurt you," he finished, just as the damage caught up with him and he disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving a stunned nun alone on the roof.

* * *

12 – Kuu Fei.

In one of the many courtyards of Mahora, Kuu Fei was training and advising her underclassmen, even though many were older then her.

She was known as Kuu Roshi to them. Earlier, she had been running the demonstration at the kid's school, but right now she and some of her underclassmen were training for the tournament that would be starting soon.

She'd been giving advise out on Katas and stances when Naruto approached.

"Naruto-sensei!" she called out to him cheerily. "Are you ready for the tournament-aru?"

"That doesn't matter right now," he dismissed. "I came here to kiss you."

"K-K-Kiss," she blushed furiously, taking two steps back.

"He wants to kiss Kuu-Roshi?" the other martial artists began to converse amongst themselves in whispers.

"He has good taste, but she'll never agree."

"Yeah. I heard she'd rather die than kiss a man."

"That's just insane."

"N-Naruto-sensei? Why do you want to kiss me so suddenly?" Kuu asked, twiddling her fingers together nervously.

"Why wouldn't I want to kiss you?" he asked back, causing her blush to intensify.

He stepped up close to her and grabbed both her hands in his. "Please, let me," he pleaded.

"Wait! Wait!" she yelled, stepping back. "M-My family has very old tradition-aru! I can not surrender my lips to anyone weaker than me," she told him.

Naruto nodded his head. "A contest then?" he asked, taking his jacket off and throwing it to one side.

Kuu could feel her cheeks burn even as she nodded her acceptance. "An all out fight, here and now?"

Naruto shook his head. "Right now I am at but a fraction of my full strength. An all out fight with myself in this condition would easily be your hollow victory."

"Then what are you saying-aru?"

"A match. If you hit me once, I lose. However, I must hit you five times to win. They must be full contact blows to the torso, abdomen or head. Legs and arms don't count."

"Agreed," she nodded. The odds were stacked in her favour; his handicap was huge, and if she lost like this, he really had proven himself worthy.

Well, at least that's what she thought. The fact was though, that as a clone, his chakra level was limited, and a drawn out battle would be terrible for him.

"I will not be holding back like last time, and will be going full force from the beginning."

"Hotaka!" Kuu called. "You will be the referee-aru! Be fair," she told him. It would be a humiliation if she only won on a technicality.

"Understood," he nodded, stepping forward to raise his arm. "Are you both ready?"

Kuu took her stance, while Naruto stretched his muscles and assumed a loose stance. They both nodded at the same time.

"Begin!" Hotaka called.

Instantly, Naruto rushed forward, only to have his punch blocked by her forearm. She retaliated with an elbow thrust, but Naruto used his earlier momentum to flip clear over her, delivering a kick to her unprotected back.

"One point to Blondie!"

"You're fast-aru," Kuu complimented. "But I've been learning something new since the last time we sparred!" she began to give off a very light glow as Chi infused her body, and then she was normal again. She charged forward then, each step forward powering a fist or a kick aimed at the fast moving blond.

Naruto struggled to dodge, most blows coming so close he could feel the air pressure around them. An outright block would be nigh suicidal with the amount of power behind the blows, and so dodging and parrying was all he could do.

Still, Kuu was new to Chi, while Naruto had been using chakra his whole life. He ended up burning through his reserves at an astonishing rate, but it kept him ahead. It helped that Chi seemed to enhance speed while greatly boosting strength, while Chakra was the other way around, augmenting strength while significantly increasing speed.

When she punched straight forward, Naruto found himself evading to her outside, facing her back. He chopped down at the opening, but she caught his hand and tried to flip him.

Unfortunately for her, he used to same trick he used earlier when Setsuna attempted the same, and stuck his feet to the ground with chakra.

Her surprise at this was all the opening he needed to twist out of her grip and attack. She tried to defend herself, but Naruto knocked both her arms away from her body, leaving her completely undefended. He delivered a fast and hard, one, two, three punches to her body, sending her flying back.

She landed on her feet though, clutching her stomach where he had dealt a particularly powerful blow.

"Three more points. Four points total to Blondie!" Hotaka found himself shouting out in disbelief, a sentiment mirrored by the gobsmacked audience made up of both fighters and ordinary people who had found the display interesting.

"You're really fighting hard for this, aren't you-aru?" Kuu Fei ground out.

"A sentiment of how much I want to kiss you," Naruto answered her, causing the girl to blush a furious red.

"I guess this will be the final exchange," Kuu Fei squeaked.

"I guess so," Naruto replied.

With that, both blonds charged forwards, only to meet in the middle to exchange furious blows.

After blocking a downward slice from his right hand with her left arm, she thrust it away from her and went for broke now that he was open.

Gathering her Chi into her right hand, she thrust it forward with all her power. Naruto did the same.

Kuu's hit landed hard, the force of her blow ripping through his body, causing him to cough. Naruto could feel himself bursting from the impact; it took all his willpower to keep his body together.

"Kuu-Roshi wins!" Hotaka yelled out, happy for his teacher.

"No!" she stopped them. She lowered her gaze to where the palm of his left hand had come to rest, on one of her breasts. Face flaming, she continued. "He landed the blow first-aru," she stated ashamed, just as Naruto dropped to his knees, seemingly in pain.

"You win-aru," she told him. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest, so hard she could feel it through her entire body.

Slowly and carefully, Naruto took her face in his hands and lowered it to his level. A single swift or sharp movement would break him prematurely. Clones could survive after a hit for only a short time, and this Naruto clone was already pushing himself past the limit. Still, destruction was assured.

Kuu Fei blinked hard, trying to prepare herself. She wasn't emotionally ready, but her pride demanded she go through with her agreement. Then Naruto leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Hopefully, one day I'll prove to you I was truly worthy of this. But until that time, I have to thank you for the honour of your first kiss," he said before pulling back to look in her eyes.

Suddenly, her unsure gaze hardened. "You beat me fair and square-aru." With that, she grabbed his head in her hands, closed her eyes and pressed their lips together. Her first kiss was taken.

Then, she felt his presence disappear with a popping noise as the killing blow caught up to him at last; with the clones mission completed, his magical will left him. Kuu soon found herself falling forward slightly. The warm feeling of his cheeks was gone from her hands, and the calloused feeling of his palms against her cheeks had similarly disappeared.

When she opened her eyes again, all that was left were the last traces of smoke that blew away in the light breeze.

She looked to her audience with a blush, but they looked as clueless as her.

* * *

21 – Chizuru.

With a smile, Chizuru kindly ushered out the few children that were still lingering under the artificial sky created by the astronomy club.

They'd been doing showings for hours, and right now they were having a short break.

Alone in the dark room illuminated only by fake stars, she sat on one of the soft chairs that had been set up by her and her club-mates.

She let out a small groan as she rubbed her shoulders. They were beginning to hurt again. It wasn't often her shoulders pained her, but it did happen. She would be fine after a short rest.

And then she felt two large, rough hands begin to massage her shoulders.

With a start, she turned her head to find Naruto sat directly behind her. "Here, let me," he said.

"Thank you," she replied, relaxing as she let him work.

"How come your shoulders hurt?" he asked as his thumbs dug in.

"Ah, I can't really feel it very well," she told him as she slipped out of the jacket of her uniform. "Much better," she sighed as he continued.

"You didn't answer my question," Naruto pointed out. With the bulky jacket out of the way, he could do a much better job; the thin cloth of her blouse was the only thing between his hands and her skin, allowing him to feel her body heat.

"These of course," she responded, crossing her arms and heaving up her impressive bust slightly with a small laugh.

Naruto failed to react, causing her to pout slightly. "I'm glad you've come to see me, but is there a reason."

"I came to kiss you," Naruto told her.

"My, my, so forward today."

"Tch, these straps are getting in the way," Naruto muttered, sliding the bra straps on her shoulders off of her through the blouse.

Chizuru blushed at this. "If you really came here to kiss me, why the shoulder rub?"

"Because I don't like seeing you in pain," he told her.

Her face reddened slightly at his words. "You are such a flirt," she gently accused.

"Am I? I'm just telling you the truth," the blond told her.

"Hey, do you really want to kiss me?"

"With all my being," the ninja whispered in her ear, tickling her with his hot breath.

With a giggle, Chizuru turned her head slightly. "If you really want to, go right ahead," she told him.

With a smile, he flipped over the back of the seat to land directly on the busty girl, straddling her.

Without another word, he was kissing her deeply, one finger tipping her head up lightly so their lips connected while the other rested on her hip.

Her tongue was the one to enter his mouth, and Naruto gratefully accepted it.

With a coy inner smile, she began to undo his shirt buttons and run her hands up and down his well-muscled chest.

In return, he began to undo hers. Once it was open, a tug was all it took for her bra to fall below her breast, exposing them to the cool air.

He palmed them and quickly began to knead them. Soon though, they broke apart.

Slowly, Naruto began to back away, trying to stand. Chizuru was having none of it, grabbing his head and burying him in her bust. The straps of her brassier proved only a minor obstacle in this endeavour. Too much for her tastes though, and she very quickly stripped off her shirt and bra while Naruto was still lost in her cleavage.

The Naruto clone was in a dilemma; he was only told to kiss her, that was his only order. The intensity and method employed was up to the particular clone. They would do anything to achieve their objective, though they didn't want to lie, and a willing kiss was better. That didn't mean that they wouldn't force the issue though.

They knew that multiple copies shouldn't be seen, and so they hid from those who didn't know of magic. Similarly, they knew that they shouldn't be seen disappearing either, and so they hid. Of course, with the damage done by Kuu and Misora, it had taken all they had to stay solid long enough to receive the kiss.

Right now, this particular clone had achieved his objective, and so had no other purpose. Sure, he could go try and kiss Nodoka or Setsuna seeing as the clones sent after them were destroyed, but the Boss was already there.

But then he pulled back from Chizuru's soft flesh and looked down to find her half naked beneath him. With her arm, she swept her long red hair over the head of the chair, causing her breasts to jiggle enticingly.

With this image beneath him, Naruto shrugged, diving into her bust and immediately beginning to suckle, nibble and tease her bosom, especially the hardened nipples, causing her to gasp and groan in pleasure.

Another victim of Chizuru's Marshmallow Hell brainwashing.

* * *

24 – Hakase.

Sitting in her lab, Hakase's hands swiftly swept over her computer, typing out computer programs at high speed.

Her concentration was broken as the alarm began to blare. Flicking a switch without even glancing away from her work, she activated the automatic defence system.

Instantly, half a dozen robots were released to repel the invading forces.

The 3-A girl frowned as she heard the expected clash occur nearby, and so put on a set of earmuffs which instantly blocked out all sound.

That was why she didn't notice a certain blond shinobi come crashing through her doors.

Without a thought, he span her chair to face him and flicked off her ear muffs.

She frowned at him.

"I'm going to kiss you," he insisted.

"Oh, the World Tree," she muttered, instantly realizing the cause of her teacher's request. Shrugging, she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him until their lips met, and then pushed him away. "Satisfied?" she asked.

Somewhat confused, Naruto nodded.

"Good," she turned back to her work as Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke.

* * *

28 – Natsumi.

Sneaking into the Drama Club's rehearsal wasn't difficult for Naruto, and it didn't take long for him to find his target.

Natsumi stood nearby, dressed in a butterfly costume.

Suddenly, she looked at the clock and her face fell in shock. Very quickly, she gathered up her belongings and dashed out. Naruto followed closely behind.

As he followed her, he thought of the best way to score a kiss without hurting her.

So caught up in his thoughts, he stumbled on a bucket that had been left out in the street.

She span on her heel, scared. She was a young maiden alone in the waning hours of the day; she had every right to be afraid.

She took a step backwards, away from the source of the noise.

Naruto's mind raced. Who would put her at ease?

She lived with Chizuru, Ayaka and Kotaro, right? '_Of course, Kotaro_!' he mentally cheered, transforming into the half demon.

As he stepped out into her vision, he let out a chuckle. "Ah, you caught me. I was hoping to scare you."

"Don't do that!" Natsumi screeched in response.

"Ah, sorry, sorry," he apologized. "Where are you going?"

She blushed. "I was just about to go watch the tournament. Didn't you say you where going to be competing?"

"Yeah, I am. Thanks Natsumi-neechan. Actually, I better hurry," he told her, planting a kiss on the corner of her mouth as he ran past, causing her already red face to deepen in intensity.

"Wha?" her mouth flapped open as he disappeared around a corner.

"Did he just-" she gaped, pressing her hand to where his lips had pressed half on her lips and half on her cheek. "What just happened!" she bellowed.

* * *

30 – Satsuki.

With a smile, Satsuki served Nitta-sensei a cup of coffee. She was in charge of Chao Zi Bao while Chao herself was away. Kuu Fei and Chachamaru were busy as well, forcing Satsuki to hire three of her underclassmen from the Cooking Club as a Waitress, Waiter and an assistant chef.

Naruto approached with a smile, taking a seat right at the counter.

"Naruto-sensei, what can I get you?" Satsuki asked.

"Can I get a bowl of ramen and a kiss please?" he cheered.

"Sure," Satsuki smiled, turning to prepare his favourite flavour of ramen.

Not too long later, she passed him his meal. Instantly he took a bite, but then placed the bowl on the counter and stared at it in contemplation.

"Is something wrong?" the chef asked when she noticed him not enjoying his food.

"Here, you try some," he told her, feeding her some of his ramen with his chopsticks.

She took a bite and swallowed it. "It tastes just like usual," she smiled kindly.

"Here, have another bite," he insisted, making sure these noodles were soaked in the soup.

Hesitantly, she did so. "It's still the same," she replied, slightly unsure. _'Is there something wrong with my cooking?'_ she began to worry.

Naruto took another bite. "Hmm," he made this noise as he went deeply into thought. Then, he went "AH!" as something clicked in his mind. "Here, one more bite and this time, keep the noodles in your mouth and savour them.

With a frown, she did so, closing her eyes to concentrate on the taste. She was completely unprepared for Naruto's lips to meet hers, sucking her tongue into his mouth.

She squeaked in surprise, backing away.

"Yep, that made it taste much better," he licked his lips.

It was only then that she noticed the noodles were gone, and she hadn't been the one to swallow them.

"Best ramen ever!" he gave a huge grin. "Can I have some more?" he asked, offering her more of his ramen. "You make it so much better."

"Naruto-san!" Nitta roared from beside him, causing Naruto to jump in his seat. "What do you think you are doing, harassing Satsuki-kun like that!"

"Ah, sorry," Naruto ran, Nitta far behind him and losing ground.

With a soft sigh, Satsuki got back to work, noting that Naruto had in fact taken the bowl with him. She'd have to ask for that back when she next saw him; he was in for quite a scolding.

* * *

Blocking another _Flans Exarmatio_ with her _Harisen_, Asuna sent a kick at Negi, which he blocked with his arm.

Meanwhile, Naruto dodged a set of three knives that flew through the air. He caught the final one, and used it to block the next set of five.

He suddenly dove forward, causing Setsuna to step backward even as she slashed at him.

He blocked the slash with his own knife, and she quickly followed up by dropping her other knife and punching him in the face.

The blond stumbled back and Setsuna capitalised on it by knocking the weapon out of his hand.

However, Naruto recovered quickly, grabbing her arm. He twisted it, causing her to drop the blade she had been holding in that hand.

Quick as a flash, she thrust her free hand forward, barrelling through the pain to strike.

Naruto jumped back, preventing the hit from connecting, releasing her arm as he did so.

"16 down, 15 to go."

"You three should just run!" Takane ordered. "They're under a spell and won't stop until they've achieved their objective."

"We know!" Asuna replied harshly. "Who are these guys anyway?" she yelled to Chamo, who was still with Setsuna.

"They are magical students; basically, they're our allies. Incidentally, the blonde one is the last girl Naruto-nii has kissed. He was drunk so he doesn't remember!"

"He kissed her?" Asuna yelled out in shock.

Naruto stopped fighting with Setsuna for a moment. "Kiss her? If you say so," Naruto shrugged.

"Asuna-san! What did we say about you talking?"

Blushing in embarrassment, the twin tailed girl silently continued to hold off Negi.

* * *

10 – Chachamaru, 26 – Evangeline.

"So, this is the female form you told me about," Eva took a critical eye to Naruko's form.

With a smile, the whiskered girl struck a sexy pose, sticking out her chest.

Rubbing her chin in concentration, Eva pocked, prodded and squeezed Naruko, causing her to let out a giggle. "Stop, stop, that tickles," she protested with a smile, wriggling away from Eva's hands.

"Not bad," Eva finally gave her opinion. "But my older form is better. And bustier," Eva added with a smirk.

"Really?" Naruko pouted.

Eva's smirk grew. "By quite a bit."

Suddenly, Eva found feminine arms wrapped around her head, two soft breasts pressing into the side of her head.

"What are you doing?" Eva protested, trying to force Naruko off; one arm was trying to pry off the ninja's grip while the other hand was pushing off the kunoichi's body, the vampire's hand on Naruko's breast.

"Poor Chibi-chan!" Naruko cried as though Eva had said nothing and wasn't trying to fight her off tooth and nail. "You have breast envy!" the taller girl despaired.

"I do not!" Eva screeched.

"Cha-chan, what do you think?" Naruko cried, turning to the other girl that was walking with them.

"Mother does show signs of envy," Chachamaru commented.

Meanwhile, Chachazero walked along the ground with her hand held in Eva's, glaring at the blond woman.

She did not like this transformation. At all.

Eva's face reddened. "Shut it Chachamaru!"

"It's okay," Naruko offered her comfort. "With your flat chest, it's completely natural to want to know the feel of a full bosom," she said, patting said flatness with one hand.

"Tell you what!" she suddenly cheered, breaking away and relinquishing the hug. "Whenever you want, I'll show you these," she cupped her own boobs. "I'm sure that'll make you feel better!"

Eva's eye twitched. "Why would that make me feel better?"

Naruko's head tipped to the side as she went deep into thought. "Because then," she finally came out with, "you'll have something else to feel other than your natural flatness!" Saying so, the taller girl began to tap Eva's chest, right where her breasts would be.

"Die," Eva growled, her hands going for the kunoichi's throat. Eva wanted to watch the elder blonde choke to death.

Unfortunately, she was caught in midair by a male Naruto. He grabbed onto the back of her elaborate dress and held her up in the air as she thrashed.

Meanwhile, another Naruto appeared from behind his female counterpart. He gave her a light smack to the back of her head, making sure not to hit hard enough to pop her.

She turned to him with teary eyes. "What did you do that for?" she asked with a sniffle.

"You don't comment on a woman's breast size," he sighed.

"Oh yeah," Naruko said as though enlightened. "I forgot."

"Naruto-sama!" Zero immediately cheered up, suddenly smiling. She ran up to the leg of the nearest Naruto and pulled on his pants.

When he looked down with a smile, she lifted her arms up, signalling that she wanted to be picked up. Naruto happily complied, scooping her up in his arms. She let out a happy squeal as she rose up and into Naruto's warm embrace.

"I'm surprised that you two would travel together," Chachamaru commented on seeing the identical clones together.

"Ah, well, we have a mission, and you two were together."

"Mission?" Eva asked. She was still in the air, but was no longer thrashing.

"Yeah. We have to kiss you two," the clone holding her up told her.

"Who was that you have to kiss?" Naruko screeched.

"Chibi-chan and Cha-chan," the clone holding Zero replied.

"What?" Chachamaru asked, standing back slightly.

"Why just those two?" Zero asked. The clone's gaze dropped to Zero in his arm and regarded her with confusion. "I want a kiss too!" the puppet demanded.

"Okay," the Naruto shrugged, smothering the doll in kisses, causing her to giggle. "There! How was that?" he asked.

"Again! Again!"

"Maybe later. First, I've got to kiss these two," he indicated Eva, who now had her feet on the ground and was sizing up Naruto, and Chachamaru, who was slowly backing away.

"Chachamaru!" Eva stopped the gynoid cold. "Let him kiss you; he's under the influence of the World Tree, and letting him complete his objective is the easiest method of snapping him out of it."

"But mother," she protested.

"Don't worry," Naruto approached, Zero in his arms.

She gave him an obviously uncomfortable look as he leaned closer, but didn't disobey the order, allowing him to kiss her.

Then, he simply planted kiss on the robot's cheek, causing her to visibly relax.

"Here you go," he said, passing her Zero. "Zero, if you want another kiss, just ask," he said just as he waved good bye. He was gone with a pop and a puff of smoke.

"Now me," Eva demanded. With a smile, Naruto placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

Suddenly, she snapped her hand out and caught his collar.

He gave her a confused look. "That it?" she asked. When he began to nod his head, she shook hers. "The correct answer is no," she stated, tripping him to the ground and kissing him roughly.

His limbs flailed as her tongue forced its way into her mouth.

"What are you doing?" Naruko shouted as she rushed to her fellow clone's aid, but a single glare from Eva stopped the ninja in her tracks.

Breaking the kiss momentarily, The Undying Mage turned fully to regard the female Naruto. "I'm doing this, and you will not get in my way. If you try anything to stop me, I'll make both you _and_ your real self suffer. Is that understood?"

"Got it!" Naruko squeaked.

"Mummy's back!" Zero was delighted.

With the only obstacle subdued, Eva turned her attention back to the blond she was straddling and began to kiss him.

She pinned his arms to his sides with her legs to make sure he couldn't escape, and then planted her lips roughly on his, her hand on his head to prevent movement.

After a few minutes of this, she broke it off with a smirk, moving down to nip at his neck, her nails digging into his scalp painfully.

"This is your payment for all the humiliation I've suffered at your hands. I can't wait for tomorrow," she let out an evil laugh as she bit down on his neck. There was a spurt of blood as she pierced the clone's skin, but it was tasteless. Near-instantaneously it dispersed into smoke.

Turning to regard Naruko, Eva smirked, licking her lips in lust.

Naruko shivered at the dark aura Eva was giving off.

"Don't forget, I'm an evil mage; I take what I want, and won't give anything away for free."

* * *

13 – Konoka.

Running through the streets of Mahora, Konoka and Haruna headed straight for the light that had stabbed through the sky above where they knew their friends were.

Haruna was a few steps ahead of Konoka; the glasses wearing girl being overall more motivated to catch up with Negi and Nodoka.

Suddenly, Naruto burst from a side street and began to run alongside Konoka.

He smiled at her, gently grabbing her arm to slow her down. Haruna continued to run on, not noticing her companion had stopped following behind her.

"Naruto-sensei? I thought you were… Do you know what's going on?" Konoka asked, her tone one of worry mixed with slight confusion.

"Yeah, I do, but I can't really explain it."

"Is everyone alright?"

"They will be. Actually, I have two favours to ask you," Naruto gave an embarrassed chuckle.

"What are they?" she asked, probably preparing to do them already.

Naruto's dull eyes shone. "Remember earlier when we were talking about your Artefact?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded.

"Well, in a little while, I'm going to be in need of its healing powers."

"Why?" she tilted her head to one side.

"Because I have a feeling Asuna is going to be mad," he told her.

"What do-"

"Like I said, I can't explain. The Boss and, to a lesser extent, us clones are under a compulsion. The more of us that complete our mission, the more coherent we become; but still, we have to do it. It's all I can do to hold back now."

"Hold back from what?"

"This," he suddenly said, kissing her.

Her eyes widened in surprise at the contact. She took half a step back, but Naruto followed her, placing both hands on her shoulder.

Finally, he broke it off.

Her face reddened as she looked at him like a lost puppy. "That was the other favour; to help me feel better," he told her.

"A-And did it? Make you feel better," she clarified.

"Much better," he grinned. "I'll have to remember this next time I'm hurt; 'Konoka's sweet healing kisses,'" he sang, causing her blush to intensify. "See ya soon," he backed away and down into a side street, only to disappear as all clones do.

* * *

14 – Haruna.

"Konoka-san?" Haruna tried to find her friend. She'd turned around to ask her if she knew what was going on, only to find no one.

"She'll catch up," Naruto came out of a nearby side street before her.

"I thought you ran ahead," Haruna didn't even blink at his abrupt appearance.

"Ah, well, I did, but there's something I have to do here."

"What?"

"Remember when you kissed me?"

"Yeah," she let out uncertainly.

"Well, I'm returning the favour," he told her before grabbing both her hands in his and dragging her somewhere were they had some privacy.

"Wha?" was the only sound she could let out before she was against a wall and the blond was kissing her, his hands releasing hers to rest against the wall.

Her mind quickly processed what was happening, and she grinned around his hungry lips.

With a surprising show of strength she turned them around so she was the one pinning him to the wall. Grabbing his lapels, she ripped the shirt open, sending buttons flying so she could feel the bare skin of his chest as his hands found their way to her hips.

She broke the kiss with a Cheshire grin; she took off her glasses and closed them with a snap, only to grab his head for another kiss.

He accepted it gratefully as her hands trailed over his chest and his hands moved lower to grope her ass.

But then her hands trailed lower and began to undo his pants. He jerked as he felt his belt being taken off, quickly breaking the kiss and picking her up to spin her so that she was the one with her back to the wall.

He lowered her to the ground and jumped back as soon as her toes were back on the ground, causing her to stumble slightly in surprise.

Without another world, he was away.

Licking her lips, she began her chase, only to lose him as he turned the first corner.

She scowled when she finally admitted defeat. "Damn it!" she cursed. "And I thought I was finally going to see and feel a real erect one too. That kind of experience would really help me improve my artwork."

"Never mind," she sighed, snapping her glasses back on with an evil chuckle. "I'll succeed next time."

* * *

21 – Chizuru – Part 2

As Naruto's hands kneaded Chizuru's breast, he continually planted kisses on her lips and neck.

With a smirk he began to focus on her neck, sucking on one particular area.

Her hands tightened their grip on his head in appreciation at this, and Naruto was happy to keep up his work.

Finally though, all good things come to an end.

"Chizuru-neesan!" one of her underclassman called into the dimly lit room, flicking on a switch to illuminate it.

The poor girl, a first year middle schooler, found a blond sempai straddling a half naked Chizuru-neesan. Both of them turned to stare at the younger girl. All three sets of eyes were wide, one set at the scene before her, the other two at being caught.

With a small blush, Chizuru calmly donned her blouse.

Naruto quickly scrambled off of the motherly woman as she began to move, falling onto his ass on the other side of the chair.

"I'm so sorry," the girl cried out, averting her eyes in embarrassment.

"It's okay Sasami-chan," Chizuru stated calmly as she put on her school tie. "We have another group coming in soon, don't we?"

Unable to look at the elder girl, Sasami rapidly nodded her head.

"We'll continue this later," Chizuru turned to Naruto, who was gaping at her.

With a final wave, she left to sort out the next group, the young girl trailing behind her, not knowing what to say.

With wide eyes, the Naruto clone spotted the large bra hanging off the chair.

He grabbed it with a huge blush, unsure what to do. He couldn't just go and give it back to her now, but neither could he leave it here for someone to find.

With a blush, he made his decision. He'd keep it for now to give it her back later.

He grabbed it slowly; he'd have to put it in the Boss's room, because the clone wouldn't be able to last too much longer. Plus, he had to report back anyway.

With that, he sped to the Cottage in record time, put the bra on his futon where he wouldn't lose it or forget about it, and then dispersed with its job done.

* * *

18 – Mana.

In one of Mahora's bell towers, this one overlooking the plaza in front of the World Tree, Mana watched.

Her eye was to her scope in the waning light. There were only a few minutes until she would have to pack up her weapons if she wanted to make it to the tournament; Chao had most likely already sorted out her plans and changed the venue, which would buy Mana time. Thankfully, she had already changed into the outfit she'd be fighting in, a Miko uniform.

"Hey Mana-chan," Naruto greeted from behind her, just as she tranquilized the final confesser of the day.

She turned to regard him calmly. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Looking for you."

"Are you the one who fell under the World Tree's spell?"

"Yep; me and Negi both did."

"I see. And so, why are you here?"

"To kiss you!"

"You were told to kiss me?" she cocked an eyebrow at this.

"Well, not just you; all of 3-A."

"_All_ of us? Good luck with that," she muttered sarcastically.

"Well, I've already kissed 22 girls of 3-A."

"That many, huh? And now you're coming after me?" she asked, bringing out her pistol and pointing it directly at his chest. He was sat directly across from her, giving her a perfect line of sight. "Sorry, but I'm not just going to let you kiss me because you have to."

"It's not just that!" Naruto quickly told her. "I want to too!"

"What?" she frowned at him.

He stood up and approached her calmly. "I'm saying I want to kiss you. Not just because of the Tree's compulsion, but because on at least some level, I want to. I don't know if it's just because you're beautiful, or because I'm attracted that cool attitude of yours. What I do know for sure is that I desperately want to get to know you better," he finished, placing his hand on her head.

In response, she cocked her gun and aimed it at his head.

He ignored it as he leant closer, touching his lips to hers. Her hand tensed, but in the end she didn't shoot.

"I knew you wouldn't shoot," he said softly.

"Tch," she made a sound of annoyance as she withdrew her weapon and placed it in its proper place.

"That one was for the Tree," Naruto told her. "This one's for me." So saying, he once again captured her lips with his own, this time with more passion, bringing his other hand around her torso to pull her close.

Soon, she responded and began to kiss him back. Breaking the kiss a moment later by lightly pushing him back, she looked him in the eye. "How did you know I wouldn't shoot?"

"I could just tell," he responded with great conviction, a small spark in his dull blue eyes. "Besides; you're not one to waste a bullet on something so trivial," he laughed.

She couldn't help but give a small smile at that.

"You realize you owe me for this?"

"Yeah, I do," he agreed before his morphed into an expression of deep thought. Finally, he shrugged. "Well, if I owe you one I might as well owe you two."

With that, he once again kissed her; straight away, she began to reciprocate. It wasn't long before he was licking her lips, asking for entrance. She allowed it, letting his tongue slid into her mouth.

His eyes closed while hers stayed open, even as he continued to kiss her. She only began to close her eyes when the blond withdrew slightly and he instead started to nibble lightly on her lips, causing her to tense and let out a small groan.

Then he slipped one hand into her Miko uniform, pushing her top open as he grabbed one of her breasts.

She was wearing chest binding, he noted.

"Naughty boy," she told him, her face notably red. "You owe me three," she corrected, shooting him in the chin. He hadn't even realized she'd re-drawn her gun.

He popped instantly.

* * *

20 – Kaede.

Kaede hummed to herself as she ran along the rooftops to the tournament grounds; she was wearing the long skirt black school uniform that 3-A had been using for the Haunted House.

The song was something she was making up on the spot as she moved forward, a calming tune overall.

"Naruto-sensei," she suddenly stopped to greet the darkness.

"Kaede-chan," Naruto returned with a smile, coming out from the shadows on the sides of the buildings. "I'm surprised you noticed me; you've really improved recently."

"Thank you," she inclined her head in acknowledgement.

"Kaede-chan, you remember that favour you owe me?"

"Yes, I do," she responded, thinking back to the bet she made when she and Mana fought Naruto in Mount Myōboku.

"Well, I might need to call you on it."

"What to do need me to do?"

"Forgive me what I'm about to do in a moment," he asked her, jumping her.

Surprised, Kaede wasn't fast enough to stop the kiss, though very quickly she had one of her kunai at his throat. It was an instinctive reaction to a perceived attack.

Seeing as it was only a kiss, she swiftly made the weapon disappear.

As soon as it was gone she focused on the kiss. Opening one eye slightly in her shock, she decided to make this as pleasurable as possible and began to kiss him back.

After all, her pride dictated that she should honour her debts; she might as well enjoy it too.

Too focused on the kiss, she never did notice the fact that Naruto had to go onto his tiptoes to reach her, even looking down slightly as she was. Neither did she notice the fact that his right arm was on against the nearby wall for leverage.

They broke the kiss with a light gasp.

"I forgive you," Kaede told him with her usual calm grin.

"No, you don't have to forgive me for that," Naruto dismissed. "You kissed me back in Kyoto, remember. This was me returning the favour."

"Then what did you want me to forgive you for?" she asked.

"The second one of course," he told her, once again kissing her.

This time he wasted no time in gently sucking on Kaede's bottom lip, causing her to let out a light moan at the unexpected sensation.

With no hesitation, after she opened her mouth, he stuck his tongue in mouth, only to gently coax her own tongue into his own mouth.

When that happened, he gently began to suck on it, causing her to let out an even deeper moan.

Naruto slipped his free hand up underneath her top; apparently Mana isn't the only one who wore a sarashi bra.

He squeezed her left breast, causing her to moan further. Naruto could just barely feel the nub of her hardened nipple through the thick cloth that bound her breasts.

With a little difficulty, Naruto slipped his fingers under some of the cloth, allowing him to tweak the nipple, causing her to gasp and break the kiss.

Naruto lowered himself to the floor gently while Kaede's knees gave out slightly beneath her, causing her to stumble a little before she quickly regained her balance.

"You're very sensitive," Naruto smirked.

Letting out a panting breath, she asked, "Is there any reason you decided to do that?"

"Magical compulsion," he said sympathetically. "Blame Asuna," he told her before popping himself.

"A Kage Bunshin? I didn't even notice; I guess I haven't improved enough," she said to herself. "Asuna-san, huh? I must remember to thank her."

* * *

15 – Setsuna. Extra – Takane.

In front of Naruto, Setsuna was getting tired. He was more skilled than her in hand to hand combat, and it was only thanks to her Pactio item that she had been so far successful in fending him off.

With his new target however, he could back off.

Setsuna had been, and still was, protecting Nodoka behind her.

To Setsuna's right Asuna was doing the same, except against Negi. However, Takane was behind him, naked as the day she was born.

With a seal, he created a clone to hold off Setsuna as he back flipped to the nubile woman.

The blond Mage blushed as she noticed him standing over her, before frantically trying to cover herself from his gaze.

Suddenly he sensed four knives behind him; turning, he found them floating in the air. Setsuna must have believed that he was the clone and the one that she was physically fighting was the real Naruto.

Suddenly they flew forward; Naruto caught the ones aimed at his shoulder, chest and leg, dodging the one targeting his stomach.

Then his eyes widened as he noticed the trajectory the evaded blade was on; at that angle, it would stab right into Takane's neck.

In one hand he held two knives and in the other he held one; the angles were wrong and the hand that was only holding one knife wouldn't make it in time.

Without hesitation he dove forward and caught the handle of the blade in his teeth, stopping it around an inch from Takane's face.

Furious, he turned to Setsuna to find her too distracted by his clone to have aimed properly.

"Setsuna!" he yelled, spitting out the weapon. "Be more careful with these," he brandished the blade, "you almost hit Takane," he chided.

Her head snapped in his direction at that, and a look of horror briefly over took her features. With Setsuna so distracted, it was easy for Naruto's clone to sweep Setsuna's feet from underneath her; she landed hard on her back.

It pinned her quickly. "Sorry about this, I'll make it up to you," it muttered, giving her a kiss on the lips.

Suddenly, the clone had a thought. Reaching behind her with his lips still locked with her's, he pinched a nerve on the back of her neck while the surprise of the kiss had made her vulnerable. This way she would no longer be a threat.

She jerked beneath him, all her muscles stiffening as she let out a gasp. With that she relaxed, unconscious.

Asuna, Mei, Nodoka and Takane stared at the downed Setsuna in blushing horror.

"Did you just…? Did she just…? Did you just kiss her so hard she-" Asuna's blush intensified. "And then fainted," Asuna finished, ultimately finding herself unable to describe what she'd just witnessed.

The clone stood slowly, a small look of pity on its face as it looked down at the swordswoman.

It inclined its head solemnly before turning to Nodoka behind Asuna.

"Are you going to kiss me like that?" Takane asked in horror.

"Not exactly like that," Naruto smiled as he knelt down next to her. "Unless you want me too?"

"No, no! A normal kiss is fine," the long haired blonde assured him.

"Ah, good," Naruto said with a small sigh. "For a second there, I thought you didn't want to kiss me at all."

"And what if I didn't?" she quickly asked as Naruto pulled their faces together, one hand on her head, the other on the naked skin of her bare back.

"I wouldn't kiss you if you didn't want me to," Naruto answered, his breath washing over her lips. "Do you, or do you not want me to kiss you?" he asked.

Takane flushed at the question. "Well, I…" she trailed off.

"You do or you don't?"

"I-I-I do, but-"

"Then that's all that matters," he told her, bringing their lips together.

Pressing her naked body against his, Naruto could clearly feel the softness of her breasts in stark contrast to the hardened feel of her nipples as they rubbed against him.

She fisted her hands on his back, tightly gripping his black jacket.

Soon though, Naruto broke the kiss, his eyes shining with mirth. He glanced down at her naked body quickly, but before she could do anything but blush he planted one more kiss on her lips as he stood.

"You really are beautiful," he told her, sounding awed.

This compliment just made her blush harder, her hands quickly covering her self again.

Then he took off his jacket and put it over her shoulders. "Here," he said, patting her on the head. "Stay warm," he told her, causing her to squirm in embarrassment.

"Is it just me, or does he seem more or less back to normal?" Chamo asked Asuna. He'd run all the way over and up her body to reach her shoulder.

Just barely stopping Negi, Asuna glanced at Naruto. "I'm not too sure! Maybe."

Turning away from the still crouching blond shadow user, Naruto turned to face Asuna. "25 down, 6 to go."

* * *

"So, how do you think we should do this?" Naruto asked Naruto.

"Well, Ayaka is obvious. Transform into Negi; it worked with Ako and Natsumi."

"Agreed," a third Naruto added.

All three were hidden high above the people milling about below them. They were in the shadowy corners, out of sight.

Every single person below was in a costume; some elaborate, others simple, but almost all lovingly self-tailored.

The three clones had tracked Makie, Ayaka and Chisame here.

Apparently it was a Costume Contest, which explained all the cos-players.

The trio had quickly found their targets, as well as Negi and Kotaro; from their costumes they'd come from the auction, but none of the blonds could be sure of that.

Right now the actual contest was well under way.

Makie and Ayaka had already been and gone, dressed up as '_Biblo Pink Tulip' _and_ 'Biblo Red Rose'_, respectively.

"Well, Chisame is up next. We know how to get her, but how do we separate Ayaka and Negi?"

"Tough one."

The three Narutos adopted a thinking pose.

"Aha!" one of them called. "I have an idea."

"Figured out how to get Makie?" one Naruto asked.

"No; but this is Chisame and Ayaka. Makie can wait."

* * *

25 – Chisame. 29 – Ayaka. 15 – Makie.

Thrust out onto the stage, Chisame blushed at the sudden attention. She was wearing a short black skirt; a sleeveless sailor fuku with short black wings; two black horns; a black tail with a spade-like tip and black thigh high stockings with the straps of a garter belt showing between the skirt and stocking tops, in stark contrast to her pale skin. She was no longer wearing her usual glasses.

The audience murmured happily at her look.

"**No. 18: Hasegawa Chimae-san as the Biblion enemy commander, **_**'Biblio Roulin Rouge'!**_ came the announcement.

'_Damn that Baka Pink! Using my real name so easily!' _she thought angrily, glancing back at where Iincho and Makie stood, cheering. Negi was next to them, also cheering her on.

Chisame turned back to the crowd, her blush intensifying. She trembled at the sudden attention.

She didn't know what to do! She didn't know what to say! It was all too fast.

Just as she approached the breaking point, tears gathering in her eyes, Naruto descended.

It was a sudden appearance, the wire he used clearly visible as he dropped onto the stage. She looked up, following the wire up; it just lead into darkness.

She looked up into his eyes with shock. "Calm down," he told her. "You look really cute. Here, for confidence," the blond leant down and kissed her on the cheek, causing her face to go even redder.

"Round two!" Kotaro roared, slashing down at Naruto. He'd jumped out as soon as Naruto had appeared.

He and Negi had very quickly recognised that this Naruto was the one under the World Tree's spell, and was probably targeting Ayaka and Makie.

Negi followed soon behind the half demon, aiming a punch at his chest, where he was reasonably sure Naruto's face would soon be.

The blond ducked under the Kotaro's swipe; unfortunately, Naruto hadn't reacted quite as Negi had planned, and he'd managed to block the child teacher's punch.

With a tug on the rope, the ninja began to ascend, tightly gripping Negi's wrist just as he started to rise, leaving no time for the boy to react.

They climbed fast and disappeared into the gloom.

Chisame could hear the sounds of a scuffle, but then Naruto fell from the ceiling heavily, quickly followed by a roughed up Negi, who landed on his feet.

"Naruto-niisan! What do you think you are doing?" Negi yelled at his downed mentor. He turned to Chisame. "Sorry about this Chisame-san," he bowed. "Naruto-nii's not in his right mind at the moment, please forgive him."

The furiously blushing Chisame could only blink in shock.

"Iincho, could you please help me drag him off the stage," Negi called to the class president, who rushed forward in response to his request.

Both the red head and Ayaka grabbed one arm and began to pull him off the stage.

Kotaro followed behind with a frown.

Once they were backstage, Ayaka let go of his arm and allowed it to drop to the floor.

"Thank you Iincho," Negi stated earnestly, jumping up to plant a kiss on the tall blond woman's cheek.

She reddened on contact, just as Kotaro's eye's widened in realization.

"Hey, how come Iincho gets a kiss," Makie whined.

Kotaro charged forward and tackled Negi to the ground and around the corner, out of Makie and Iincho's sight.

The red head grinned widely, quite unlike Negi.

"Figured it out fast, didn't you?" he asked in Naruto's voice.

"I could smell it; frankly, I'm ashamed it took me so long to get it."

"Well, you've forgotten something," Naruto/Negi retorted.

"What?" Kotaro growled.

"What are you doing to Negi-sensei?" Ayaka screamed, pulling Kotaro off the downed red head as she ran around the corner to investigate.

"Naruto-sensei!" Makie shouted suddenly.

When Kotaro turned, he found Naruto holding Makie by the waist, looking down on her with a smile.

"Really, you are cute aren't you?" Naruto commented.

With that, he leant down to kiss her on the lips; she was having none of it though, and immediately began to struggle.

Lightning fast, Naruto grabbed both her arms. "You like someone already, don't you?" he asked gently.

She nodded her head, a small tear threatening to run down her cheek.

Naruto gave her a gentle smile. "Then I wish you luck in your life," he placed a soft kiss on her forehead, wiping away her tears with his free hand.

With a pop, the Naruto/Negi clone had dispersed unnoticed.

The one that had kissed Makie side stepped Kotaro's sudden strike, quickly backing away.

"I really am sorry about what I did," Naruto bowed in apology. "Only three left now," he sighed to himself, just before yelling, "Retreat!" as he broke out into a run. As soon as he was out of sight, he popped himself.

Negi soon appeared on the stage; well, it would be more accurate to say he fell a foot above the stage from the shadowy ceiling, tied up with his mouth sealed shut.

The audience had been cheering for the 'vulnerable _Biblio Roulin Rouge'_, only to fall silent for a moment.

And then the cheers once again exploded from the audience.

"**Here we are ladies and gentlemen; the vulnerable Rouge we all know and love, committing an evil act with the help of some of her assistants. An unorthodox approach, but the crowd loves it!"** the announcer explained.

With a defeated sigh, Kotaro sliced through the wire with his claws. "We got beat, badly."

Ripping off the tape over his mouth, Negi replied. "He completely tricked us. Everything went according to his plan."

Better, but Negi didn't know that.

"I should've smelt it sooner!" the brunette cried out, pissed at his failure.

"Do you know how close he was; did he give a number?"

"He said that there was three left."

"That guy is good," Chamo noted.

"C'mon," Kotaro barked, "let's get out of here. We can pay him back tomorrow."

"We might not be fighting him; you won't be meeting him until the second set of rounds, and I have to get all the way to the finals," Negi pointed out.

"Whatever."

* * *

31 – Zazie.

Zazie stared.

Naruto stared back.

"…"

"… Can you say that again?" Naruto asked as he began to concentrate on the white haired girl with all his senses.

"…"

"Yeah, okay," Naruto easily agreed.

"…"

"I don't mind, but why?"

"…"

"Alright, but I have a condition to that last one."

"…?"

"I want a kiss."

"…**?**"

"Two reasons; one, I want to, and two, I think it'll make you smile, and I live for people's smiles."

Slowly, Zazie nodded her head in agreement.

Naruto placed a gentle kiss upon her lips and withdrew, causing the girl to blush very lightly, the corners of her lips twitching into a smile.

"…"

"I look forward to it," he smiled. "Remember Zazie-chan; if you ever need me, even just to talk to, I'll always be willing to help. Remember," Naruto insisted

"I will," she told him, causing him to grin widely at her soft voice.

He left soon after that, and once out of sight, he began to cradle his head; she was harder to decipher than Sasuke. And to think, he thought the last Uchiha was the king of none verbal communication.

Oh well, that magical diary Chamo had given him would make a note of it.

With that last thought, he went up in a plume of smoke.

* * *

27 – Nodoka. 08 – Asuna.

With Naruto distracting her, Negi easily managed to land a blow on Asuna and sent her flying to the side.

Now he had a clear lock on Nodoka.

He grabbed her by the shoulders, ready to kiss her deeply, only to stop as a hand tightly gripped his own shoulder.

He turned to investigate, his own blank eyes meeting the bright eyes of Naruto.

"Little brats shouldn't try for big boy kisses," Naruto told him, throwing him back.

Negi landed on his feet and charged, only for Naruto to use his own momentum against him, flipping him onto his back and placing a foot on his chest to keep him pinned.

Negi thrashed but was held fast.

Nodaka backed away slightly, but Naruto was quick to place a hand on the top of her head.

He smiled at her lightly. "You really do remind me of Hinata," he told her, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "I hope you'll be happy," he said, pushing her away slightly.

Seconds later, he twisted his head and grabbed Asuna's _Harisen_ with his bare hand.

He winced at the pain, but bit through it to pull Asuna close.

His right hand moved to cover Asuna's on the hilt of her _Harisen_ while Naruto's left hand shot out to grab Asuna's left wrist. His arm wrapped around the red head's chest, allowing him to pull her close against his body, her back firmly pressed into his front.

"Let me go!" Asuna struggled in his grip.

"No, sorry," he denied. "Now, do you want to snap Negi out of it or not?"

"I do, b-"

"Good," Naruto stated plainly, knocking Negi's wand out of his hand with the _Harisen_, before giving him a firm knock on the head.

Instantly the young Mage's hands snapped to hold the rapidly forming bump on his head. He turned to regard Naruto with small tears in his eyes. "What did you do that for Naruto-nii?"

Naruto ignored him. "Asuna," he tried to get her attention, but she refused to acknowledge him.

He placed his chin on her left shoulder. "Asuna," he began. "I'm going to tell you something."

She didn't respond, still trying to wriggle out of his iron grip.

"Asuna; I think, of all the girls in 3-A, you are the most beautiful," he sighed in her ear.

"Wha?" her head snapped around to look him in the eyes.

As soon as she was facing him, he struck, capturing her lips with his own, just in time for Konoka and Haruna to burst onto the scene.

He kissed her long and hard; occasionally she tried to weakly struggle away from him, but he ignored it as he continued to kiss her, and soon that resistance stopped.

When he finally broke the kiss, he did so with a sigh, loosening his grip and letting Asuna go.

They both collapsed to their knees, the red head out of exhaustion, and the blond out of relief.

The former fell forward, onto her hands and knees while the latter fell backward, onto his back.

"31," Naruto sighed as his eyes closed.

* * *

A/N: Okay, first of all, this was more than I expected. I decided to do this as a joke, but quickly came to realise what a big task it was. I hope I rose to the challange.

Second, I may have stretched how long a clone could last with Misora and Kuu. Please forgive me - in my defence, they have been shown to last a little after being hit. For example, in Naruto vs. Neji, a Naruto clone coughed up blood and told Neji "That's why... I told you... to stop automatically deciding things." before popping. This is after Neji made his own little speech. So basically, there is precident - I might just be taking it a step too far. Call it Heroic Willpower if you want. Which is rather amusing itself. Heroic Willpower to kiss a girl, lol.

Okay, so as I was going through this chapter with Dongaro and he pointed out that this chapter may have trivialized some of the girls feelings. In response, I wrote a quick and short list of the thoughts I had about each girl as they were kissed. Depending on the response, I may post it in my profile. He thought it made the chapter better in a way.

I've also gone back and made a couple of corrections to: 'Freedom', 'A Job?', 'Past and Training' and 'Mana and Kaede'


	24. Festival: Day 1  Preliminaries

"Asuna! What the heck was that? Why did Naruto-sensei kiss me and then come for you? What is going on?" Haruna immediately began to shout out questions to the still slightly out of it girl.

Asuna ignored this as she reared up as though on puppet strings. There was a dark, cold aura emanating from her; with blank eyes and her teeth gritted in her anger, she raised up her weapon. No longer was it a _Harisen_; right now it was a dark sword almost as tall as the bell wearing girl.

With a slash, Asuna brought the sword down on Naruto, who was still slumped on the ground, seemingly asleep.

"Asuna-san! No!" Negi called, shoulder tackling Asuna in the arm to knock her swing off target.

"Kill the pervert," she growled.

"No Asuna-san! I don't know what's going on or why he kissed you, but you shouldn't go that far," Negi told her.

"What's happening?" Haruna shouted.

"Set-chan!" Konoka yelled as she spotted Setsuna. She lay on the floor, unconscious, not three feet away from Asuna and Naruto. The White Mage rushed to the swordswoman's side and knelt next to her. "What happened?"

"Well… Erm, Naruto-kun kissed her so hard she…" Takane came over and began to explain. She had managed to conjure up some clothes, a white t-shirt and blue shorts, though she was still wearing the black jacket Naruto had put around her shoulders. There was a small blush on her face as she hesitantly continued. "Let's just say Sakurazaki-san came and went," the blond finished with a cough.

"Wha? I don't understand?" Konoka's confusion showed clearly on her face.

"Sakurazaki-san should be fine; hopefully she'll wake up soon."

"Oh, thank goodness," Konoka sighed, relaxing slightly and allowing her head and arms to rest on Setsuna's prone form.

"Why did Naruto-nii kiss you like that?" Negi asked Asuna.

She'd calmed down slightly now, although her face had distorted into a glare that promised pain. Her sword had also morphed back into a _Harisen_, and was grasped so tightly in one hand that her knuckles were white.

"It was Ane-san's fault, Aniki," Chamo answered instead, running up Negi's leg to reach his favourite perch on Negi's shoulder.

"Huh?" Negi tilted his head slightly in confusion.

"Well, it's like this….." Chamo started.

* * *

Meanwhile, Setsuna began to stir.

As awareness seeped into her body, she quickly became aware of a warm weight on her chest.

Her eyes opened instantly as she recognised the scent; it helped that Konoka's hair was lightly blowing into the swordswoman's face.

With a small blush, Setsuna sat up, her hand unconsciously going for the area Naruto-sensei had pinched her. It stung a bit, and would probably bruise.

Konoka backed off slightly as Setsuna rose, but soon returned to hovering over her looking worried. Behind Konoka, Setsuna could see Takane and Mei; the former was watching over the winged girl, while the latter was trying to explain the situation to Haruna. Mei was not doing well as the glasses wearing girl fired question upon question. Nodoka stood next to the red haired female mage as she tried to explain the situation; Honya was silent, a very small blush on her cheeks.

"Are you alright, Set-chan?" Konoka asked immediately.

"Yes, Ojou-sama," Setsuna responded, slightly bowing her head. She had a small blush on her face as she recalled the kiss and her defeat. The swordswoman turned her head slightly to find a sleeping Naruto. A small distance away from the slumbering blond, Chamo, Negi and Asuna were having a semi hushed discussion. Setsuna turned back to Konoka. "Did he… Did Naruto-sensei kiss you too?" the winged girl asked.

The healer blushed, but silently nodded her head.

"I see," Setsuna lowered her gaze.

"I don't really get it, but it was because of magic, right?" Konoka asked softly.

"Yes," the swordswoman replied, her eyes still downcast.

* * *

"… and that's how it is," Chamo finished.

Negi's mouth opened and closed as words failed to move past his lips. His eyes were wide and blank in shock.

Chamo waited patiently until Negi finally managed to say something. "Thirty one!" he chocked out.

"Thirty two," the ermine corrected with a light cough.

"And I-?"

"Almost did the same? Yes. It was only because Naruto-nii stopped you that you didn't plant a deep one on Jo-chan."

"I fought-?"

"Ane-san and Setsuna-nee-chan? Yeah; you did really well too, until Naruto-nii pinned you," the animal continued, sounding slightly proud of his Aniki.

"Are you saying you don't remember any of this?" Asuna spoke for the first time since her declaration of her intent to kill.

Negi frantically nodded his head.

"Then chances are Naruto-nii won't remember either," Chamo sighed. "This'll really cause problems."

"Why?" Negi asked.

"Aniki, you really don't know anything about girls," Chamo found himself sighing again. "Naruto-nii went on a kissing spree that apparently got _every single member_ of _3-A_! There's a very big possibility he accidentally revealed the existance of magic in that rampage of his. Besides that, to all the girls who don't know or didn't recognise the World Tree's effect, Naruto-nii just randomly kissed them. His reputation will be in the gutter unless we come up with a good story. Even then, we can't come up with the perfect cover up until we understand the situation of each individual girl properly."

There was a short silence as Negi took this in. "Oh…. This is bad."

The silence stretched on.

"So, he took something…?" Haruna trailed off uncertainly behind the group.

"Well, no, its, uh, er, he," Mei tried to stutter out a response.

"He was drugged!" Chamo shouted with all his might.

The girls jumped at this loud declaration, Haruna in particular looking left and right to find the source of the new male voice. She found no new boy who could have yelled. Before she could ask, Asuna and Takane were already moving, rapidly nodding their heads.

"That's right. He was drugged," Asuna agreed, sensing a great excuse.

"It was Kagurazaka-san's fault," Takane added.

"Wha!" Asuna stepped back slightly in shock.

"Nodoka?" Haruna turned to her quiet friend. "Is that true?"

"Huh?" the shy girl blinked out of her daze. She'd been picturing what might have happened if Naruto hadn't been there.

"Is it true that Naruto-sensei kissed Asuna-san, me and Konoka because he was drugged by Asuna-san?"

"Wha? Erm, I started it with Negi-sensei, but yes," Nodoka agreed, slightly flustered. She hoped Haruna would believe her; the mangaka had an excellent sense of when people were lying.

"You drugged Negi-sensei?" Haruna asked instead, staring at the shy girl with wide eyes and the beginnings of a huge grin.

"NO!" Nodoka shouted. Then, in a softer voice. "It was an accident. Negi-sensei wasn't in control and tried to k-k-ki-kiss me, but Naruto-sensei stepped in. Then the drug kicked in against him when Asuna shouted that he should kiss all of 3-A." By the time the shy girl was finished, she was a nervous wreck. She wasn't used to lying or keeping things from her friends, and twisting past events into this deformity of truth was taxing for her.

"All of us?" Haruna focused on instead. "Did he do it?" she asked, a hint of awe in her voice.

"We think so," Asuna growled.

"You too Nodoka?" the glasses wearing girl turned to her friend with a hint of worry. Haruna knew how shy Nodoka could be, so this might really have shaken her, to have someone other than the target of her affections plant one on her.

"Yes, b-but just on the forehead."

Haruna blinked at that. She turned to Asuna and nodded her head once, then turned to Konoka and Setsuna. "He kissed you on the lips, right?"

Konoka simply nodded her head while Setsuna responded verbally. "That is correct." Her voice was stiff as she gave a small nod with her words.

"Huh? So he only kissed Nodoka on the head while the rest of us got some lip action; hell, he and I even played a game of grab ass during the kiss."

"You did?" Takane asked, glaring.

"What are you getting at?" Konoka asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Nothing in particular, just pointing it out," Haruna said with a teasing grin.

"You don't think he had control over his actions, do you Chamo?" Negi asked quietly.

"He did seem more coherent and less single minded as time went on," Chamo whispered back. "Maybe he had a little control, especially at the end."

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Asuna screeched as those words reached her ears. Before anybody could stop her, she brought her _Harisen_ around in a full swing and hit the still slumbering blond in the stomach as she screamed "Pervert!"

"Damn Ane-san's sensitive ears," Chamo muttered as he and Negi winced in sympathy.

Naruto let out an "Umf" as he instinctively clutched his stomach. "Sakura-chan, it's too early," he sleepily muttered.

"I'm not 'Sakura-chan', and it's just after half past five," Asuna snarled, delivering a sharp kick to Naruto's side.

The shinobi cracked one blurry blue eye open and fixed his gaze upon Asuna. With a groan, he unfurled himself and climbed to his feet. He glanced around; everybody was watching him intently.

Naruto's eyes stopped on Negi. "Feeling better?" he asked. The last thing Naruto remembered was fighting Negi while he was under that magical compulsion.

Negi mutely nodded his head.

The blond smiled at this, then stretched as he tried to fully wake himself up. "Is there any reason I was asleep on the floor?" he asked curiously, before he frowned in confusion. He smacked his lips and his confusion grew. "And is there a reason my mouth feels weird. I didn't eat anything strange, did I?"

Maybe Negi had smacked him and his mouth had been bleeding a bit, Naruto mused. But for some reason that didn't seem likely. He couldn't think of any other reason he'd be on the ground though.

"Well," Konoka cheerfully began, but Asuna was in the healer's face immediately.

"Not a word!" the red head hissed, clutching hard onto Konoka's witch robe. When Setsuna and Nodoka opened their mouths to speak, a single glare sent their way was more than enough to get them to close their traps so fast that the snap of their teeth closing was audible.

"Wait, what time did you say it was? 17:30?" Naruto asked.

"That's right," Konoka answered.

"Damn. I've got to get to the tournament preliminaries. Negi, are you coming?"

"No," Negi nervously told him, glancing at Nodoka.

"We'll get it on the next time through," Chamo waved the question off.

"Got'cha!"

"Wait right there you two!" Takane interrupted before Naruto could leave.

The two boys turned to find her glaring at them.

"Where do you think you're going? This incident happened because you two lost focus!" the blond mage continued to scream. "If you had been doing your job properly like we told you instead of playing with your students, this disaster would never have happened! You put them at risk; and you call yourself teachers!" she scolded them.

Negi winced at the reprimand and had to fight back tears as the triade continued.

"I'm so sorry!" he wailed as Takane finished. "I'll pay for your damaged uniforms."

Takane took half a step back as the tears began to fall.

"I… I got caught up in the festival… it was wrong of me to ignore my duties like this," Negi bowed his head.

"Calm down Negi – you act like you've never been told off before," Naruto spoke softly as he ruffled Negi's hair.

"I can't help seeing him as a ten year old," Mei whispered to Takane; just looking at Negi's crying face was making her mental fortitude collapse and the guilt come crashing down.

"Just focus on Naruto-kun," Takane hurriedly whispered back. She was focusing her gaze completely on the blond boy, and was trying very hard not to look at Negi because she knew she would crumble if she did.

"We're very sorry for this; you are absolutely right and we should've been more careful," Naruto bowed his head slightly as he said this seriously, far different from his usual light hearted tone. He also kept Negi's head bowed as he spoke, only for him to raise Negi's head simultaneously as he rose himself.

Meeting Naruto's earnest gaze forced Takane to wrench her eyes from him lest she lose focus. It would have worked, except she ended up glancing at Negi just as another tear ran down his cheek.

"Damn it!" she yelled as she found herself unable to continue for now. "You're just lucky there are Mundanes around!" she shouted as she hurriedly left, Mei in tow.

Naruto let out a little sigh as the girls left, before bopping Negi lightly on the head. "You shouldn't cry over these little things; you made a mistake, but no harm done. Hell, I even made the same mistake, so there is no reason to cry. We'll just have to be more careful next time. Got that?" Naruto asked.

Wiping away tears, Negi nodded. "Thanks Nii-san."

"No problem," Naruto nodded. "Now, I've got to go; I'm already going to be late."

"Alright, see you Naruto-nii-san," Negi nodded back.

"See you on the next round trip, Naruto-nii," Chamo said as Naruto jumped over to the next roof, waving to the girls as he went.

They were all huddled together, whispering something. Even Haruna was with them; she was the one that spotted him first as he departed. Her eyes widened in shock at his inhuman feat, but he simply disappeared around a corner on the other roof.

"Did you see that?" Haruna exclaimed.

"No," was the resolute response of the other girls

As Nodoka smiled softly at Negi, the boy blushed. Unnoticed, the two wondered off to finish their definitely not a date get to together.

"We have to tell him," Setsuna stood firm in her opinion. She was embarrassed, but had to be honest.

"No, we don't," Asuna hissed. "If Naruto-sensei doesn't remember his kissing spree, there is no reason to tell him about it."

"Of course there is!" Setsuna almost yelled back. "Do you really think any of the girls in our class will just let this go so simply? Naruto-sensei needs to be informed so he can adequately explain and prepare himself."

"That's right," Haruna agreed. "If we can't tell him, we can't take advantage of the situation," she grinned evilly.

"They're right Asuna," Konoka nodded her head. "It's unfair to keep this from Naruto-sensei just because you're embarrassed. You should take responsibility; after all, you are partly responsible."

"Take responsibility?" Asuna repeated confusedly.

"Yes, that's right. You'll have to tell all the girls of 3-A that Naruto-sensei's behaviour was your fault, as well as telling Naruto-sensei what he did while under you-know-what's influence."

"What! Konoka, you can't be serious!"

"I am," Konoka nodded decisively.

"I am in agreement," Setsuna put in.

"Well, I wouldn't mind doing it," Haruna said next, ever the gossip.

Facing Konoka and her bodyguard's steely gaze, Asuna crumbled. "Alright, fine! I'll tell him," she pouted furiously.

* * *

Naruto wasted no time in speeding towards the tournament. Negi had warned Naruto he was going to be late, but that didn't mean he wanted to be too late. He had to make up for lost time.

Then again, it was slightly odd as at this speed, he should make it to the preliminaries on time, if only just barely.

As he crossed over roof tops at speeds civilians wouldn't be able to track, he spotted two girls ahead of him who were doing the same, flitting unnoticed from building to building. It was Takane and Mei.

Without thinking, Naruto sped to catch up.

As he got close, he noticed that Takane was speaking to someone on the radio.

"Understood," she finished. "Stop here," the blond mage ordered her younger companion.

With a nod Mei agreed and both came to an easy stop.

Naruto, who had been hoping to surprise them, found himself too close to stop in time.

"Ah!" he let out a little scream as he realised this.

Takane just barely had enough to time to make a half turn before Naruto barrelled right past the two and came to a tumbling stop on his side.

"Are you alright?" Takane asked worriedly, rushing up to the downed shinobi to check him for wounds.

"I'm fine," Naruto groaned slightly as he shifted to sit up. Suddenly, he grinned. "Where you going?" he asked.

"We have to check out a disturbance; apparently there was a sudden and unexpected change of venue for the Martial Arts tournament and we have to check it out. What does it matter to you?" Takane asked coldly, at least once she was done making sure he was uninjured.

"Oh, cool. I'm participating in the tournament, so we can go together," Naruto continued to grin.

Takane scowled at the news. "You should be ashamed of yourself!" she suddenly shouted, straightening her back and crossing her arms. She looked down at him in contempt. "Right after apologising for deserting your duty, you continue to play. Don't you have patrols to attend to? You should be doing your job!"

"Eh? But I am." Naruto replied in a small voice.

"What do you mean?" she asked confusedly.

"I'm very good at producing clones," Naruto began. "I should have three clones patrolling right now," he told her smugly.

"But…?" Takane began.

"They each have about the same amount of power and intelligence as me, so not much," Naruto gave a small laugh as he continued. "I think my area was at the other side of the Tree, so quite far away. They should be there." Then the ninja turned his head slightly to the side as he realised something. "Who was supposed to be keeping an eye on that area?" he wondered out loud.

"Which area?" Mei asked.

"The one we were just in. I mean, you were working in the area near the bookstore, and then Negi ran to the next area over, so, who was supposed to work in that area?"

In a street some distance away, Misora sneezed.

"Well, that doesn't matter right now," Takane dismissed, already planning to find out who was supposed to be there later. "What about Negi-sensei, what is he doing now?"

"Eh, I'm not sure," Naruto answered. "You gave him quite a scolding, so he might go patrolling. I just can't believe he cried," the ninja sighed. "It's not like anything happened, right?" Naruto shook his head.

In response, Takane flushed a brilliant red while Mei averted her eyes as her cheeks warmed.

"So, you said you were heading for the tournament preliminaries, right? Wanna go together?" Naruto asked.

"To-together?" Takane asked hesitantly. Suddenly blinking, she came back to her senses. "Yes, of course, let's go," she nodded.

Silent, Mei followed as the two blonds began to move.

"Er, there's something I wanted to ask you," Naruto began, shifting uncomfortably as all three made their way.

"What is it?" Takane asked.

"How did we meet? You give me the impression that we met before I remember us meeting," Naruto said, going slightly cross-eyed as he re-went over that sentence in his head before nodding, satisfied it made sense.

"So, you really don't remember?" Takane sighed after a full minute of silence.

She'd heard as much from the rodent, but she had hoped it was wrong anyway.

"A few weeks ago a sempai of mine went on a trip. To see her off, her friends took her out to a meal and a club. I was lucky enough to be invited," she began sedately. "When we got to the bar, it turned out to be one that catered exclusively to the Magically aware. My upper classmates offered to buy me drinks, and I agreed. I didn't want to at first, but they continued to press; classic peer pressure," she lightly scolded herself. "I was a little tipsy when it was my round, and when I went to the bar, I found you. You were surrounded by people as you brazenly stood on the bar top, telling stories."

"You were halfway through a tale about a boy named Haku when I got there; I actually cried, even though I'd only heard half the story."

"After that, I really wanted to hear the rest of the story; I went up to you and asked, just like that. You, of course, were more than happy to tell me the part I missed."

"Then, out of the blue, you asked me to dance. You had this big grin on your face," she let out a little laugh, "and me, being as tipsy as I was, agreed." She suddenly blushed furiously. "One thing led to another, and we ended up kissing," she told him in a small voice.

Naruto tripped on air and came crashing to the ground at this news. "WE WHAT?" he yelled, wide eyed. "I don't remember this at all," he mumbled.

"We kissed for quite some time," Takane continued abashedly, ignoring the fact that Naruto was still on the ground. "Then, we got separated and I lost sight of you. I didn't see you for the rest of the night, and I didn't think I would ever see you again."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "Then you appeared here, releasing a huge energy I've never felt before," she finished, shaking her head.

"Wha? I… I don't… I," Naruto tried to speak, but only gibberish came out.

"Let me say this now! I don't expect anything to happen. I didn't realise it at the time, but you were inebriated; what's worse is that you were so intoxicated that you don't even remember me. I was stupid to expect more. Right now I have to work, and I refuse to let this get in the way of that."

With that, Takane gave a single sharp nod before taking off.

Almost as shocked as Naruto, Mei took a moment to process that her Onee-sama was gone. When she did, she gave a quick bow and followed after.

Mei pushed herself hard to catch up to her speeding partner; when the red haired girl finally did, she was visibly puffing.

"Onee-sama, slow down," Mei called, only to be ignored. "Please Onee-sama," she pleaded.

After a moment's hesitation, Takane began to slow. When she turned to face her Kouhai, her eyes were slightly puffy and red.

"Are- Are you alright?" Mei asked after a moments hesitation, placing one hand on the elder girl's back for comfort.

"O-Of course I'm fine!" Takane protested, shrugging off the hand.

Seeing her Onee-sama so obviously in distress, Mei desperately wanted to comfort her, but held back, knowing that the effort would be useless. A proud woman like her Onee-sama wouldn't accept it so easily.

"You really like him, don't you?" Mei asked instead, taking a stand.

Takane took a good hard look at Mei before opening her mouth to answer…

* * *

"Negi! Negi!" Naruto shouted, his voice shaking with panic.

He sped through the sea of tournament contestants, slipping past people with ease.

He was at the Tatsumiya Shrine courtyard, a large complex with a number of stages set up; on most of the stages, fighting was taking place. Nearby was a raised area with a set of large doors; the place was brightly lit by huge lights shining in, giving the area a whitish glow.

Naruto had arrived at the staging area just in time to hear the announcement of Negi's victory in his preliminary round and immediately made his way towards the boy.

Several of the girls were already surrounding him, mostly made up of the fighters in class 3-A. Kaede, Mana, Kuu, Setsuna and Asuna were among them, and Kotaro was nearby.

All of them had already competed in and passed the preliminary round.

Luckily, one of Naruto's clones was already there. The clone breathed out a sigh of relief as it spotted him.

Before Naruto could say a word, the clone was already speaking. It threw him a piece of paper with the letter 'H' on it, saying, "Geez Boss, cut it a little closer next time. I thought I was going to have to compete for a little while there. You'll be up soon," it warned before popping, giving one final strange glance at the girls.

As its memories flooded Naruto's brain, he could see why.

* * *

**Clones Memories**

Naruto stood alone in the crowd as Asakura made her introductions; this tournament was being upgraded from a small time thing to a big deal, like it was some years ago.

Naruto grinned at the news, though his grin shrank into a thoughtful frown as Chao, the sponsor appeared on stage.

She bowed to the crowd before revealing a sly smile. "The reason I bought this tournament is simple – be it from the world of light or dark, I want to know who is the strongest in this academy. That is all," she winked.

"In years past, people from the other world would come here to show what they could do; however, as digital cameras and other recording equipment became household products, these grand exhibitions became smaller and smaller, leading to smaller prizes and smaller events."

"However, I want to change all that!" she suddenly shouted. "The Mahora martial-arts tournament is hereby revived!"

"For the rules! Bladed weapons and projectiles and forbidden. Further, incanted spells are also forbidden! That aside, feel free to use all your abilities freely!"

Naruto whistled quietly, a huge grin on his face as Chao continued to speak, assuring privacy; i.e, video cameras and other recording equipment were forbidden.

Then, Naruto heard some familiar voices from behind him.

Turning, the Naruto clone casually greeted the girls with a simple, "Hey," as they approached.

The group consisted of Kaede, Mana, Kuu Fei, Fuuka, Fuumika, Asuna, Setsuna, Konoka, Eva, Natsumi, Yue, Naruko, Takamichi, Negi and Kotaro. The latter two were off to one side. Negi looked uncertain and slightly panicked; on the other hand, Kotaro seemed annoyed as he tried to snap Negi out of whatever funk he was in.

Each person had a different reaction as Naruto came into view.

Mana simply coughed, a little blush on her cheeks. Similarly, Kaede blushed but made no other outward sign of her feelings.

Kuu Fei's face immediately flamed as she spotted him, and she refused to look him in the eyes. Fumika was more or less the same, though the younger twin had a small smile on her face.

Conversely, the elder twin was acting the same as usual, if a bit more hyper active.

Yue simply blinked, absolutely no different from usual, while Konoka gave him a warm smile.

Asuna and Setsuna both blushed and glared at him, though the winged girl's look of anger did not last long.

Natsumi's attention was focused elsewhere, glancing continually at Kotaro, a puzzled expression on her face.

Meanwhile, Eva smiled at him coyly, licking her lips. Seeing this, Naruko blanched and gave her fellow clone a worried look.

"Er, what's up?" he asked confusedly. He felt that there was a strange atmosphere around most of the girls, like something had happened.

"Nothing at all," Kaede answered, a relaxed smile on her face. "It is good-"

"By the way!" Chao interrupted loudly. "The last time this tournament was held, the winner was a foreigner who appeared from nowhere. At the age of ten, he completely blew away the competition. His name was Nagi Springfield. For those that know the name, let it encourage you! For those that don't, try your best!" Chao finished.

"Okay entrants, come forward and pick yourselves a lottery ticket! The Letters picked will be used to sort you into groups of twenty, which will compete together in a battle royal!" Asakura announced from the stage, a microphone in one hand.

"We'll be excepting entrants until the very last minute. Age, gender, experience – none of those is a factor in entering. The main tournament begins at 8am on the second day of the festival, but for now, let the preliminaries begin!" Asakura finished with a brilliant smile.

Kaede gave Naruto another smile. "If you'll excuse us, we have to pick up a ticket," she told him.

Mana followed after her, as did the twins and Kuu Fei. Naruko gave her fellow clone a smile as she began to move to the stands with Natsumi, Konoka and Yue.

Just before the best three fighters of 3-A disappeared, Mana turned to regard Asuna. "I look forward to facing you in the tournament," the gunslinger told the red head icily, causing the shorter girl to shiver.

Besides Mana, Kaede nodded her own agreement. "Yes, we still have to thank you, don't we?" the kunoichi asked rhetorically.

Asuna gulped as a third set of eyes turned to her. Kuu Fei said nothing as she looked at the bell wearing girl in something akin to anger, before her eyes flickered over to Naruto.

As her gaze locked onto him, Naruto stared back, not understanding why she was angry with him. Then the anger in her eyes suddenly disappeared as she flushed beet red and followed the taller girls.

Naruto gazed after the girls, until suddenly something attached itself to his leg with a squeal.

Giving a yelp of surprise, Naruto looked down to find Zero hugging his leg, her arms wrapped around it tightly and her face looking up at him happily.

With a smile, Naruto picked her up as Eva come to stand beside him.

"You look happy," Naruto noted, addressing the blond vampire who was sporting an unusually grin.

"Yes, I suppose I am."

"Something good happen?"

"Oh yes. Very good," she licked her lips. "Who knows? If I play my cards right, I may even get the same treat tomorrow – and this time, from the real thing."

Hearing Eva say that, a sudden feeling of foreboding overtook Naruto, causing him to frown.

"Naruto-sama! Can I have a kiss?" Zero suddenly asked from her position in the shinobi's arms.

Eva frowned at the request, but Naruto just shrugged and began to rain kisses down on the puppet's cheeks, causing her to let out more happy squeals.

When Naruto was done, Zero hugged him tightly. "I love you Master!" she told him earnestly.

"I love you too," Naruto responded, stroking her hair, causing the magical doll to beam.

Beside him, Eva's face turned thunderous. "Master?" she asked aloud, before yanking the puppet from Naruto's arms, or at least trying to.

Zero held onto the blond tightly, not willing to be so easily separated.

"I'm your Master! How dare you call someone else that!" Eva yelled as she continued to tug.

"No!" Zero protested, gripping onto the man tighter.

Naruto glanced around, noting that they were beginning to attract stares. Naruto wouldn't usually care, but it was still getting dangerous.

"Hold up," Naruto stopped the struggle by yanking Eva off of Zero, then swinging Eva up onto his shoulder.

Eva squawked at the suddenness of the movement as she was lifted up.

The end result was that in one arm, Naruto held Zero, cradling his side, while the other arm was keeping Eva steady by gripping her legs; the vampire was on one shoulder, her body bent like an upside down U, her legs down the blond shinobi's front, the rest of her body bent down his back. To prevent her head from being upside down, the vampire used her arms to straighten her body, turning it into an L shape.

"What do you think you're doing?" Eva bellowed murderously, kicking her feet and trying to wriggle free from his grip. She knew that if she continued to do so, his already tenuous hold would break.

"Er, stopping you from hurting Zero-chan," Naruto answered. In contrast to Eva's anger, Naruto seemed perfectly calm. "Now, calm down and stop struggling, or I'll spank you," Naruto threatened. This wasn't the first time he'd said he would do such a thing, though that time he'd been mostly joking.

Seeing her acting like a brat like this, pulling viscously on Zero and possibly damaging her, Naruto wasn't joking this time.

"I demand you let go of me this instant!" Eva continued to shout and thrash. "You have no idea -"

_*Smack*_

Naruto landed a hard blow on Eva's backside, which, due to the position she was in right now, was right next to Naruto's head.

The sound echoed strangely, catching the attention of the entire crowd, who really were staring now.

"Wheee!" Zero called as she fell back down to Earth. Naruto caught her in his arm again. It seems he threw the girl up in order to free a hand for a moment.

Eva was oddly silent. The shock and shame had rendered her speechless.

She was in a state of disbelief. Only the sharp stinging sensation radiating from her right buttock prevented her from dismissing it as her imagination.

Eva twisted her body around to find Naruto giving her a calm but angry expression.

She didn't really notice the small tears in her eyes as she glared at him, but Naruto did.

He gave her a sympathetic look and spoke softly. "Look, I don't pretend to understand why she called me Master, or how you feel right now, but pulling on her like that could have damaged her. You might have pulled a leg off or something."

Eva opened her mouth to protest that it would be simple to fix but Naruto beat her to it.

"And I don't care if you could reattach it easily; I don't want to see those precious to me hurt."

Eva had nothing to say to that.

"Now, I'll let you go if you behave; we'll straighten all this out later, there are other things to do right now. But we will talk about this properly," he promised. "After all, those precious people I don't want to see hurt include you as well."

Eva gave him an annoyed look, but grudgingly nodded her agreement.

Naruto put her down gently.

As soon as both her feet were planted, Eva struck, trying to plant her fist in his guts.

Conscious that it was a clone, Naruto dodged. "Nah ah, I'm only a clone, so no violence. When the real me gets here, feel free to beat him to your hearts content," Naruto said with a smile.

Eva pouted angrily, but nodded. "Understood," she said, giving one final glare at Zero, who was still clinging onto Naruto.

With a grimace, Eva rubbed the spot Naruto had hit.

Naruto let out a little laugh as he witnessed this. "Do you want me to rub it to make it fell better? Or maybe a kiss," Naruto joked.

Eva glared at him again. "You really do treat me like a child," she said angrily.

"Well, when I see you act like a child, I can't help but treat you like one Chibi-chan. If you ever act your age, I'll treat you as the mature older woman, Baa-chan."

Eva let out an angry huff at this, and turned to leave.

Naruto looked down at Zero, then back at Eva. "Wait!" he called, stopping the vampire from leaving.

"Hey, Zero-chan," he coaxed. "I can't keep you with me right now, so will you stay with your mother?"

Zero looked up at him, and then turned and gave a troubled look at Eva.

"She won't bother you about the Master thing," he assured her. "But don't you want to spend time with your mother?"

Zero nodded her head, causing Naruto to smile. With a wink, he put Zero on the ground so she could rush towards Eva, who took the doll's hand with a smile which was quickly suppressed.

"By the way," Eva began with a chilling grin. "When I get to order you around for the day, that'll be the first thing I ask you to do."

"What will be?"

"Kiss my ass of course," she laughed as she disappeared.

With that, Naruto turned to the boys, who he knew had been staring at him for some time.

Negi, Kotaro and Chamo's jaws were practically on the floor as they stared at him in pure shock.

Even Takamichi looked surprised, though in his case there was no small part of amusement mixed in.

"Hey guys, you ready?" the ninja asked the two younger boys with a wide grin.

"H-How did you do that?" Negi asked, his voice so high it almost hurt.

"Do what?" Naruto asked dumbly.

"Master?" Negi said in awe.

"You're insane!" Chamo put forth his thoughts.

"Man, you really must have balls of steel to do that to that scary girl," Kotaro admiringly.

"Meh, never mind that," Naruto dismissed. "We have to get sorted out," Naruto began to lead them to the lottery area. "You haven't seen the real me, have you?" he asked.

The two boy's awe had worn off by now, so they answered him normally. "No. This isn't the real you?"

"Nope, but he should be here soon."

* * *

**Clone Memories End**

Naruto blinked as he returned to the present.

The rest of the memory was pretty simple, just picking lots and watching some of the matches.

Kuu Fei and Mana had dealt with the others in their group pretty quickly, while Kotaro and Kaede had beaten up most of the competition before their match devolved into a clone contest between themselves.

Apparently Kaede could only manage 14, while Kotaro's limit was 7.

Takamichi and Eva were paired up, and the two breezed right through.

Setsuna and Asuna were the same, getting through without too much difficulty.

Negi had a rocky start, but went through easily as well.

Once Naruto had processed all that information, he blinked and then shook his head to clear it, remembering why he was looking for Negi in first place as he did so.

"Negi! I kissed Takane! What should I do?" Naruto called in a rush. "It was at the bar, when we were drunk. Argh, I don't know what to do!"

"And you're asking me?" Negi shouted out disbelievingly.

"Good point," Naruto acknowledged after a moment.

Suddenly, Naruto felt an ominous presence. Turning just slightly, he saw Kaede looking down on him, one eye open slightly. Beside her was Mana, who also had her gaze fixed on him.

Standing so close together, Naruto wasn't sure which one was the source of this bad feeling, or whether it was emanating from the both of them.

"Kissing even more girls huh? How many does this make now?" Kaede lightly teased

"I never would've expected this sort of thing from you," Mana added.

Then, before Naruto had a chance to explain himself properly, an even darker presence made itself known to him.

"Hello Naruto," the source of this feeling greeted coldly. "I've been hearing of your exploits lately, and would like to know more."

Naruto turned slowly, almost mechanically.

There stood the short blond who he liked to call Chibi-chan. Beside her, Zero stood, glaring at him silently.

There was a glint in Eva's eyes that caused Naruto to flinch. Instinctively, he took a step back.

However, she wasn't about to let him get away so easily. Instantly the blond vampire struck his stomach, forcing him to double over. Eva quickly followed up by elbowing him in the cheek; while he was still reeling from that, she tripped him up so that he landed on his back and quickly sat on his chest.

"What was that for?" Naruto asked after a moment. "Apart from the spanking," he added soon after.

"I was naïve," she muttered, ignoring him. "Why I thought only Chachamaru and I were your targets I have no clue. But really, 32 girls in the space of half an hour?" she addressed Naruto for the first time since sitting on him. "I'm not sure whether I should be beating you to within an inch of your life or praising you for completing such a task so quickly."

"Erm, what are you talking about?" Naruto asked, but was more or less ignored after Eva delivered another sharp blow to his stomach.

The Undead Mage instead turned to Asuna, who had been looking on, unsure what to do.

"I hear I have you to thank," Eva said. "Because of your slip of the tongue, Naruto went on a rampage and I had a nice experience. But next time, be more selective of targets. No need to unnecessarily increase the number of his admirers."

"Eh?" Asuna and Naruto both made similar sounds of confusion.

"And you," Eva once again brought her attention to Naruto. "About this bar girl; there's no need for you to associate with her except in a work capacity."

So saying, Eva finally raised herself up and off Naruto's chest.

"By the way," Eva unexpectedly continued, "that punishment was for what you did earlier. This is for the spanking," she drove her foot into Naruto's stomach before finally wandering away, Zero in tow. Absently, Naruto noted the puppet had said nothing to him, which was very unusual.

Naruto stood with a small groan, but apart from that appeared fine. "What did I do to deserve that?" he asked no one in particular.

"You have to tell him," Setsuna muttered to Asuna sharply, gently pushing the red haired girl forward.

"Erm," Asuna began reluctantly. If it was up to her, this whole incident would just be forgotten.

"Will Group H please come up!" Asakura interrupted Asuna once the announcer had confirmed that that group had twenty participants.

"That's me," Naruto told them. "What was it Asuna?" he asked.

"Good luck," the red head changed her mind at the last second.

"Thanks," Naruto grinned before he turned to enter the battlefield. However, Negi stopped him.

"I think the only advice I can give is the advice you gave me: get to know her better. Other than that, I have no idea."

Naruto looked into Negi's earnest brown eyes and smiled slightly. "Thanks Negi, but I don't think that's the solution here."

Putting the situation out of his mind for now, Naruto waved himself off and headed for the stage. The other nineteen people were already waiting for him.

Scanning the crowd, Naruto only recognised one person. Her back was to him, but he recognised the red hair.

Naruto's stomach dropped. "Mei?" he called. It seemed he wouldn't be allowed to forget about it for now.

The girl turned to him with an unreadable expression.

"Why are you-?" Naruto began, but she cut him off.

"After seeing Negi-sensei come here to play after being scolded so, Onee-sama couldn't hold back," she responded coldly, before adopting a troubled look.

"Onee-sama is a proud person who values her career. Sometimes, she'll be so focused on that that she will forget everything else, even the important things. I won't say anything else, except that I think that you would be a good influence on Onee-sama. So please, even if only as friends, take care of her," Mei suddenly bowed down low.

The on lookers were bemused, but paid it no heed.

"You really are a good girl, aren't you," Naruto gave Mei a kind smile. Thinking on the fly, Naruto spoke. "Tell Takane-chan that I think we should start over. Forget the kiss or today's events; the next time I see her will be the first time we meet. I look forward to meeting such a focused woman," he finished with a grin.

"But-" Mei began, but Naruto cut her off.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but I want to start fresh with her. Please relay my message," he requested formally.

"Yes, of course I will Naruto-san- I mean sensei," she corrected.

"Sempai," he told her. "I haven't taught you anything, so I'm more of your sempai than teacher."

"Okay," she agreed shyly.

"Now, I think we have something to take care of," Naruto mentioned as he turned to the other eighteen competitors.

"So," one of them began, "finally taking notice of us, eh?" The man who spoke was big and, in Naruto's opinion, rather fat.

Behind him were seventeen others; approximately fifteen of them were men, while there were only two women, three if Mei was included.

The men ranged in size from large and muscular to small and slight.

Of the two other women, one was tall and built like a body builder; the other was more normal, although she was wearing strange black clothes that covered her entire body. Even her face was covered completely, apart from her eyes, which were instead hidden by goggles.

The only reason Naruto could tell she was a girl was by build.

Naruto and Mei were easily the youngest entrants in the arena by a good four or five years.

Beside the blond, Mei trembled at being addressed so aggressively.

"Well, you are kinda hard to miss, fatty," Naruto insulted.

"Why you…" the man began, but was interrupted.

"Now that Naruto-sensei has finished his private discussion," Asakura said impatiently, "we can begin!" the red headed reporter announced, signalling the start.

"Eh, Mei, why don't you take on that one, that one and that one," Naruto pointed to the three biggest men in the arena in turn. "Oh, and her and him," the ninja pointed to the larger woman and one of the smaller men. "If you can do that, then I'll take on the rest," he finished.

Mei paled as he pointed to the opponents Naruto identified for her. "I can't do that!" she practically squeaked.

"Then why did you enter? You're a mage, right? Then fight," Naruto encouraged her. "If you can beat them, I'll deal with the others and we can go through to the tournament proper." Naruto looked at her curiously. "You weren't expecting a free ride, were you?"

Mei shook her head slightly, though this was a lie. She had been expecting Takane to help her through.

Naruto gave her another encouraging smile, which calmed her nerves.

With a deep breath, Mei stepped forward.

The large man sneered at her, before turning to Naruto. "What's wrong, too scared to face me? Sending out a little girl instead is the lowest of the low."

Behind him, the other contestants were already fighting among themselves, though they seemed to be about equal; no one had fallen yet.

"Nope~" Naruto practically sang. "I think she'll be enough for you."

Although her heart was hammering in her chest and her nerves were frayed, Mei took a card from her pocket into her hand and confidently called out, "Adeat!"

With that, the card transformed into an old style broom, like a stereotypical witch's broom; it appeared with the bristles facing upwards, her right arm held out to catch it, and her left arm perpendicular to the stick until she gripped it in her hands.

Naruto whistled appreciatively as he watched Mei grab her broom with a flourish, instantly curious about the Artefact she'd summoned.

Suddenly, the girl bowed low and muttered an apology, and then made a sweeping motion with her broom.

Instantly, the fat man was blown back five feet. In his shock, he was completely unprepared. Not that there was any conceivable way he could be prepared to face magic, seeing as he was a normal person.

After that, Mei wasted no time in rushing into the fray, spinning her broom to strike out at the other contestants.

She only hit those that Naruto had specified, even passing by enemies that she could've taken out if she'd wanted to, all to continue on.

She finally stopped at the other end of the ring, looking surprisingly confident. The small crowd that had been watching carefully was stunned into silence.

Unfortunately, the enemies that she had just felled slowly rose back up.

She had been so focused on dealing damage to all, she hadn't done sufficient damage to any.

Nevertheless, all those she had hit were wobbling or clutching themselves in pain.

She must have hit them rather hard, and still Naruto noted Mei could have hit harder.

All eighteen enemies were watching her warily now, suddenly very much aware that she was much more skilled and dangerous than any other person in their match.

Mei crouched down low, ready to go in for another round; just as she was about to charge, Naruto's cheerful voice cut through the shocked atmosphere.

"Yeah, that's good enough," Naruto grinned at her, suddenly in the middle of the ring, where he'd moved to unnoticed. "Come here," he told her, and she quickly found herself obeying.

"You did good," Naruto complimented as she rushed towards him. The others backed away warily, exchanging glances. "Next time, make sure they stay down though," Naruto continued, causing Mei to blush slightly in embarrassment. "Now, grab onto my body," the blond told her, slowly going through handseals.

She instantly went red at his suggestion, shaking her head quickly.

"Well, if you don't you'll just get blown away," he said, his voice with a hint of seriousness as he held off on completing the last seal. "After all, I'm going to finish this in one move."

Instantly, Mei grabbed onto Naruto's arm.

With the final seal and a small frown of concentration, Naruto practically whispered, "_Fuuton: Fuuka Heki."_

Unlike last time he'd used this technique, to protect himself against the demon God's attacks, this time Naruto used it like he'd done so the first time here, pushing the wind outwards.

However, unlike that time, he put forth the maximum amount of power possible without overloading the Jutsu. The Jutsu spread from him in a single wave, knocking everyone into the air and blasting them off the slightly raised arena floor.

In one blast, seventeen people were defeated and thrown out of the ring. Even Mei would have been blown away if she hadn't been holding onto Naruto; as it was her legs had been swept out from under her and she'd had a moment of vertigo as her entire body had been flung into the air at a 90 degree angle.

She landed with weakened knees and stumbled as she adjusted to the change.

The seventeen people who had been blown away groaned as they tried to rise and return, but the tangle of limbs left them unable to do so. The only ones that would have been able to get loose and return in time were already too hurt to do so, most likely due to a magical broom smacking into their joints moments earlier.

"Whoa! Contestant Naruto has just taken out all but two of his enemies!" Asakura commented in awe. "Now, only one more person has to loose until this preliminary is over."

Both blond and red head turned to their last enemy; it was the black clad girl Naruto had noticed earlier. She looked completely unfazed by Naruto's wind attack, and was in fact calmly walking over to them.

"Yo," Naruto greeted.

"Hello," a very deep and masculine voice answered back, causing Naruto to rethink his original assessment. Maybe it was a very girlish boy, like Haku. "I will defeat you now," the boy(?) said simply, before suddenly moving forward to land a punch in Naruto's guts.

The blow caused Naruto to double over, the black-clad person following up with another punch, this time to Naruto's face, sending him flying back.

Completely ignoring Mei, the black-clad girl(?) chased after Naruto.

However, this time Naruto was ready.

Dodging the first strike, the shinobi ducked under the second to deliver a powerful blow to the black-clad person's stomach.

She(?) didn't even blink at the impact and elbowed Naruto in the back of his head, knocking him to the floor.

Rolling out of the way, Naruto managed to dodge the stomp that followed immediately after.

Then, Mei came flying through the air, raining blows on their black-clad opponant with her broom. Again, nothing seemed to faze her(?).

However, she(?) didn't knock Mei away or even move to defed himself(?). Instead, that person began to speak, ignoring the magically enhanced hits.

"Please step away. I do not wish to harm a woman."

Mei glared at this, and, with a wave of her boom, fired three arrows of fire at the black clad enemy.

She did so without a word, a silent incantation.

The black clad person just barely dodged and landed a glancing blow on Mei before she had a chance to react.

The force sent the young girl spinning before she came to an abrupt stop, the suddenness causing her to lose her grip on her broom, causing it to fly from her fingers. She quickly realised that her arms were tied together by the same black fabric that her opponent's entire clothing was made from.

This left her unable to easily move or cast spells, but not entirely out of the fight.

However, instead of finishing Mei off, the black clad boy(?) continued to target Naruto, raining blows that he continued to just barely evade.

Any counterattacks were ignored entirely, and no matter how much power Naruto put behind his blows, the black clad was unfazed.

Continually off balance, Naruto was forced further and further back.

The boy/girl was good in hand to hand, although not as skilled as people like Mana and Kuu, yet because s/he focused only on attacking and ignored the concept of defence or evasion entirely, they were able to continually press Naruto.

Ducking under the enemy's fist when they threw a right hook, Naruto vaulted behind her/him so that he wouldn't run out of space.

The enemy of ambiguous gender turned to the blond calmly. "You should just give up," the black clad told him; Naruto got the feeling that behind those goggles the eyes were bored, tired of this game. "These clothes I wear protect me from all blunt force damage, and seeing as blades are not allowed in the tournament…"

"Sorry, but I'm not one to give up," Naruto replied easily, though on the inside his mind was racing a mile a minute.

Even as he tried to think up a strategy, the black clad opponent merely nodded in acceptance and lunged once again.

Still, this didn't stop Naruto from thinking. All but three or four of his Jutsu would probably be completely useless, and those others were more likely to do more serious harm than Naruto was willing. And Naruto didn't even want to think about what would happen if he missed.

So, Naruto's mind churned as he continually evaded, not even trying to attack at the moment.

'_Hmm,_' a thought struck, '_what would Sasuke do in this situation?'_

Either electrocute or burn, so those two were out.

'_Sakura?'_

Probably poison, indirect attacks or medical attacks like Kabuto's chakra blades.

Again, useless.

'_Bee?'_

Tentacles or electricity.

'_Asuna?'_

Probably lose at this point.

'_Negi?'_

…

'_Huh. That might work,_' Naruto thought to himself, once again jumping away to get some distance.

"Hey, hey!" Naruto shouted. "I have one question."

"What?" was the monotone reply.

"Are you a girl or a boy? I just can't tell."

"I'm a boy," was the somewhat heated reply.

"Oh, that's good then…" Naruto began, making a quick seal as he charged the black clad boy.

In response, the newly confirmed boy threw a punch right at Naruto's face.

Ducking under that, Naruto landed a palm thrust on the chest, right under the boy's neck.

"That wont work…" the boy tried to say, but suddenly a tearing sound interrupted him.

To Naruto, who had just made the seal to mould wind chakra, it was easy to saturate the boy's top and mask with it.

And considering that the very first thing someone with wind nature chakra learned was to slice apart leaves, fabric, no matter how unusual, was not much more difficult.

The result was obvious as the boy's clothes shredded into tiny pieces.

A second pasted, and then another.

"Hey, you're not a boy," Naruto pointed out the lie as what he could now identify as a white haired girl with a rather flat chest scrambled to cover herself.

Blushing crimson, the girl, who couldn't have been more than 16, quickly fled the arena, cursing Naruto and yelling that she wouldn't let this humiliation stand.

Blank faced and slightly red cheeked at the eyeful he had gotten, Naruto had no clue what to do.

There was a silent lull, and then Asakura announced. "The winners of Group H have been decided. Congratulations Uzumaki Naruto and Sakura Mei!"

* * *

After the Kissing incident was over, Haruna soon found herself alone.

Asuna, Konoka and Setsuna had ditched her shortly after the strange drug had worked its way through Naruto's system, while Negi and Nodoka had disappeared even earlier to continue their date.

Yue had vanished even earlier than that, most likely unwilling to watch the date.

That had left Haruna on her own.

And so, Haruna had decided to head to 3-A's meeting place earlier than planned.

It was only a largish café, but 3-A had quickly grown to love hanging out here. As a bonus, it was rather near the World Tree and the heart of the festival, with several easily accessible dark and private areas nearby.

Of course, this was something only she and a few others had thought of, though if it came to it, Haruna was sure the rest of her classmates would be quick to realise this advantage.

When Haruna entered the café almost an hour earlier than the set meeting time of 8 o'clock, she was expecting to find it empty.

Instead, she found that most of her classmates that were supposed to be working at the Haunted House were already waiting inside.

These were Yuna, Ako, Akira, Misa, Madoka, and Sakurako. Haruna could only conclude that they'd left early for some reason.

Fuuka, Fumika and Ayaka were the only ones who were supposed to be working at the Haunted House right now that were missing.

Ako seemed to be lost in a day dream and Akira was silently fuming to herself, Haruna noticed.

The other girls were chatting almost normally; however, Haruna just knew that there was something they were avoiding.

She could tell this after only a minute of secretly eavesdropping on their mundane conversation through a mixture of intuition and prior knowledge that (most likely) Naruto-sensei had kissed each of them.

If they'd mentioned that, Akira wouldn't be the only one fuming.

And so, Haruna had to approach this delicately; she had to use all her tact to prevent a blow up.

Revealing herself to her classmates caused them to give her a smile in greeting and an invitation to join them.

Taking a seat beside Madoka, who was speaking to Sakurako, Yuna and Misa, Haruna ordered a simple coffee before opening her mouth.

"So, did you guys enjoy kissing Naruto-sensei?" she asked casually.

However, the effect was anything but casual.

"How did you know I kissed Naruto-sensei?" they all screeched. Even Akira, who was previously fuming in silence; the only one who didn't was Ako, and even she'd been jolted from her fantasy.

There was silence as the five girls looked at each other, processing that they hadn't been the only one to say those words.

"You too?" Yuna was the one to break the silence.

When the other girls nodded, Akira was the first one to explode.

"How dare he! That cheating, lying bastard. To play with so many girls' feelings…" Akira raged.

"Why? Why would he do that?" Ako asked the question on everybody's mind.

"Because he's scum," Akira began, before Haruna calmly cut her off.

"Because he was drugged."

"What?" Yuna was the one to ask.

"Who drugged him?" Sakurako asked angrily, valiantly fighting back tears.

Of the girls currently in attendance, she was the only one to have had prior feelings for their blond sensei.

Yuna's thoughts on the matter were new, while Sakurako had been thinking about the blue eyed boy for quite awhile.

"Well, while I'm not sure of the circumstances… Actually, I'm not sure if I should tell you who it was. All I think you should know is that both the drugs and the order," here, Haruna flinched. Even she could tell that it was about to go downhill even further and faster when she next spoke, but it couldn't be helped.

"The order?" Misa asked.

She'd been the only one apart from Ako to not be particularly bothered.

"'Kiss every girl in 3-A'" Haruna tried to say it in a dismissive way, but failed utterly. "Well, it was an accident."

"Every girl?" Sakurako choked. "Did he do it?"

"Erm, I'm not sure, but the others that were there seem to think so."

"He didn't kiss me," Ako told them somewhat shyly, the topic of kissing making her think back to the earlier and very realistic fantasy of Nagi kissing her.

Seeing the slowly spreading reddish hue, Haruna leaned towards the girl and asked, "Are you sure?" suspiciously.

Ako nodded slightly fearfully, a sudden fancy that the budding mangaka could read her mind blossomed.

However, Haruna nodded as though satisfied and leaned back into her seat.

Nodding her head at this news, Haruna continued. "Well, if he missed one of us, he might have missed a lot more, so we have no idea unless we the girls ask directly."

"Why can't we just ask Naruto-sensei?" Misa proposed.

"He can't remember a thing," Haruna shrugged. "He has absolutely no idea that he kissed us."

"Tell us about this drug in more detail!" Yuna demanded.

"Well, from what I can tell it makes that person super suggestable; both Negi and Naruto-sensei had some, and, though I don't know what Negi was told to do, Naruto-sensei was told to kiss us all. I seem to have caught the tail end of it, because he woke up shortly after my kiss. Well, after he'd planted a deep one on Asuna at any rate. Negi's order seemed to clash with Naruto-sensei's though; when I saw the two, Negi was on the ground and Naruto was keeping him pinned there." Haruna shrugged. "Both Negi and Naruto-sensei also seem to have no memories from the time the drug took affect to the time they completed their mission. Though, if Naruto-sensei didn't kiss Ako or some of the others, maybe the drug just wore off over time."

"So it was all a lie," Madoka spoke for the first time, rage boiling just below the surface.

The girls turned their attention to her, only to realise that her head was bowed down and her hands were fisted in her skirt. Her arms were shaking. Then, she looked up with tears falling freely. "Everything he said was a lie! He didn't mean any of it?" she bawled.

"I'm not so sure about that. I mean, when he kissed me, he wasn't acting _too _different from his normal self. Do you really think Naruto-sensei is the kind of guy that would lie to get into a girl's pants?" Haruna asked rhetorically, causing the other girls to pause.

There was silence as all the girls thought about this.

"Well, I just thought you should know," the mangaka released a simple sigh. "Hopefully by the time Naruto-sensei and the other girls get here Asuna will have told him what he did. I would've done it but they wouldn't let me," Haruna muttered to herself, pouting.

And then, in the midst of this serious atmosphere, a grin slowly spread across Haruna's face.

"Well, now that the deep stuff is over with. What was it like? Was it a deep kiss or a normal one? Hot and heavy or soft and gentle?" she asked, causing the others to blush crimson.

"Hot and heavy for me," Misa boasted cheerfully. "I can still remember the feel of those delectable buns on my fingers," she continued with a huge grin, flexing her fingers for emphasis. "As well as his arm holding me close, and are entwined fingers where he held my hand. No tongue though," she let out a disappointed sigh.

"What about you Yuna?" Haruna asked, turning her attention to the dark haired girl.

"Passionate," was Yuna's mixed response. In her words was a mixture of cheer, embarrassment and disappointment. "He gently stoked my sides as he went into to kiss me passionately," she elaborated after a moment. Her heart was throbbing just from the memory.

"Hey, hey!" Sakurako shouted, interrupting them. She was not comfortable discussing this.

"Oooh, did someone only get a peck on the cheek?"

"NO! For your information, he held me close, groped my breast and bum and planted a passionate kiss on my lips! So there!" she boasted loudly, before her brain caught up with her mouth and she clammed up, even more humiliated than before.

"Oh, lucky you," Haruna grinned. "Now, more details!" she continued to lay out demands.

* * *

Stepping off of the stage with Mei, Naruto was met with by a scowling Asuna, as well Negi and Kotaro.

The other girls were nowhere to be found.

"What's the big idea, stripping a girl like that?" Asuna demanded angrily.

"Well, she said she was a boy!" Naruto retorted with a pout. "This is why people shouldn't lie about genders! I'll get confused when it comes to girly men and manly girls! Aargh!" Naruto held his head in confusion.

"But really, how come you decided to do that Aniki?" Kotaro asked.

"Well, I just thought, 'What would Negi do,' and that was what came to me. Ah, a lesson," Naruto suddenly added. "You can really learn from the tactics both your enemies and allies utilise."

"Wah! Naruto-nii, what kind of person do you think I am?"

"Hey, hey, never mind about what I think of your stripping habit, did you get the lesson?"

"Hai!" both Negi and Kotaro responded, the former without energy and the latter normally.

"Hey, Mei," the shinobi turned to the mage, only to find her gone. He put this out of mind a moment later, when someone began to speak.

"Now!" Asakura began; she was on the stage a short distance away, a microphone in her hands. "The sixteen contestants have been decided. The match-ups start at 8 AM tomorrow at the Tatsumiya shrine's tournament stage. And now, for the line up that has been selected:"

Asakura swept off a nearby cover to show a board. On that board, in big letters were the words: Mahora Fighting Tournament KO Match Up Table.

Below that was the actual table, divided into two, one set of eight on one side, another eight on the other. In order, the matches were:

Naruto vs. Eva

Mei vs. Kotaro

Ku Nel vs. Daigobin

Kaede vs. Yoh

Tanaka vs. Takane D. Goodman

Takamichi vs. Negi

Asuna vs. Setsuna

Kuu Fei vs. Mana

"Wha! Takamichi!" Negi cried out in distress.

On the other hand. "Yes! Eva-chan right off the bat! I can't wait," Naruto was like a kid in candy store. Scrach that, Naruto was like Naruto after eating the shop out of business.

With childlike innocence and energy, Naruto began to hop up and down, his excitement getting the better of him.

On the other hand, when Eva saw this, she smirked. It was finally time for pay back.

* * *

Ayaka, Makie and Chisame were the next group of girls to arrive at the café, the latter trailing a fair distance behind the other two in order to dissuade people from associating them together.

When they went up to the girls who were already there, they found Misa, Haruna, Sakurako and Yuna debating on who Naruto kissed harder. Akira was throwing them disgusted looks and refused to take part while Madoka listened in silently, utterly unwilling to share her story.

Ako was trying her hardest to change the topic of conversation, but with no success so far.

Miraculously, the mood was light, though it did give off a feeling a fragility. It felt like one misspoken word would turn the somehow friendly debate into a full blown, potentially disastrous, argument.

The Class President sat with a huge smile on her face, basking in the memory of Negi kissing her cheek and the lap pillow she'd given him.

"Someone's happy. Don't tell me Naruto-sensei's lips cured you of your Shota-complex," Haruna teased.

"I am not a Shotacon!" Ayaka snapped. "And Naruto-sensei didn't kiss me. Negi-sensei did," she beamed. "While under that drugs influence, Naruto-sensei did kiss both Chisame-san and Makie-san though."

"Oh, details please," Haruna began to interrogate the other two.

Chisame blushed, but complied with annoyance. "He just kissed me on the cheek; for luck, he said."

"That mean guy tried to kiss me on the lips, but I struggled too much, so he just did it on my head and wished me luck in my love life. Then he apologised before, puff, he was gone," a sullen Makie told the story.

"Oh, so you already heard he was under the influence. That's good," Ako said with relief.

"Yes. Negi-sensei filled us in on the details. That Asuna-san, to make such a stupid request," Ayaka sniffed contemptuously.

A sudden silence greeted this proclamation.

"It was Asuna, was it?" Akira growled. "I lost my first kiss because of Naruto and Asuna."

"What?" Ayaka asked blankly.

"I'd kept who was responsible secret to protect them," Haruna sighed. "Oh well; this'll be good too."

"I might have gotten a kiss and a date out of this, but I think we should have a talk with Asuna, don't you guys agree?" Yuna asked with a scary grin.

Slowly but surely, the rest of 3-A trickled into the café, most telling stories of their encounters with Naruto, though the shyer girls kept it to themselves.

As Chisame listened to the stories of the girls, something inside her made her frown. Something wasn't right.

"Hey, when did you say this happened?" she asked Yuna.

"Oh, it was when me and Sakurako were on door duty. He called me into the Haunted House to talk."

"And you?" she asked Sakurako.

"Oh, it was when I was on door duty too. Yuna had just disappeared suddenly, and I turned to find Naruto-sensei."

"And you don't find that strange at all!" Chisame shouted.

"Not really."

Hanging her head low, Chisame couldn't help but mutter, "I'm surrounded by idiots."

Despite Chisame's questions, the light mood continued. However, an unspoken agreement had been made. Naruto and Asuna would be punished. This was a fact.

True, Naruto was relatively blameless, but it was still he who had kissed them. It was still he who had said those sweet yet most likely hollow words to them. They would not let this stand so easily.

And then, they heard it. Naruto-sensei's was voice coming from just outside the café door.

"Hey, hey, don't do that!" Naruto was calling before he opened the door and entered the café.

He was grinning, as usual, even as Fuuka clung onto his back, a big triumphant grin on her face. Fumika wasn't far behind, shyly following her sister.

Further back was a miserable Asuna, flanked by Mana, Kaede and Kuu Fei.

A giggling Konoka was accompanied by Setsuna, while Kotaro and Negi were talking to Takamichi.

Natsumi, Yue and Naruko were all happily chatting as well.

Asakura, Sayo, Zazie, Chao, Nodoka, Eva, Chachamaru and Hakase were the only ones missing from the gathering.

"Hey girls!" Naruto smiled brightly as he entered the café.

However, he was met with a murderous aura that stopped him cold. This atmosphere then morphed into one of awkwardness.

Unknown to Naruto, this was caused by the girls remembering the kisses they shared with him.

As the grinning Naruto stepped forward once again, suddenly confronting him didn't seem like such an appealing idea to the girls.

The embarrassment they would face in explaining what they had done with the clueless blond made its way to the forefront of their minds and they balked.

And so, they turned their attention to Asuna. However, this didn't help either, as a certain memory came to the surface.

It was during the ghost hunt less than two weeks ago, when, with his mere presence alone, the entire class had been cowed in response to their bullying of Sayo.

Confronting Asuna in front of Naruto didn't seem like a good idea either.

And so they each decided to wait. Then again, there's always one.

"Hey, it's the play boy! Come to ravage us again?" Haruna shouted out cheerfully.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked, even as he tore Fuuka from his back and placed her into a seat.

In less than a second she was up again, going to talk and giggle with someone else.

"I mean when you umf fufu-" Haruna was cut off as Akira and Yuna grabbed her and placed their hands over her mouth so she couldn't say a word.

"Nothing at all!" Yuna quickly lied.

Shaking his head in a mixture of amusement and confusion, Naruto turned his attention to Takamichi and Kotaro while Negi was being praised for being an excellent teacher that managed to visit all his students as well as complete his other teaching duties

"Shh, don't tell him!" Akira hissed to Haruna.

Wrenching off the duo's hands, Haruna spoke. "Why not? Its not like he's just going to let us beat him up for no reason."

"Er, well, beating him up is a little…" Yuna trailed off, though Akira was all for it.

"Then a prank?" Haruna asked.

"Not against Naruto-sensei," Fuuka added, surprising them.

"When did you get here?" Yuna asked.

In response, Fuuka just grinned.

"He's not the type you can prank so easily. Though I suppose if you distract him…"

"Or get him drunk," a masculine voice suggested.

"That could work too," Fuuka agreed, before she and the other three began to look around. "Who said that?"

Nobody answered, especially not a white ermine that was lounging on a table nearby.

"Well, anyway, alcohol could work," Fuuka reaffirmed.

"No way. Iincho has already banned us from having alcohol," Yuna shot down that thought.

"I know where we can get some," Chizuru joined in.

"After that, we'll just have to make sure we slip it into Naruto-sensei's drinks only," Haruna finished.

"And then what?" Akira asked.

"Hmm, I wonder? We could strip him naked and set him streaking across campus. Or we could strip him naked and force him to tell us all his secrets. Or we could strip him naked and…"

"Why do all your plans end up with him naked!" Akira shouted.

"Because I want to see it," Haruna told them proudly.

"There shall be no nudity!" Yuna snapped.

"Aww, that's too bad," Chizuru pouted.

"Anyway," Yuna coughed. "A normal prank should be fine."

"Well, I'm sure we'll figure something out, when the time comes."

With that settled, Chizuru quickly retrieved a supply of vodka. Looking nothing like a middle school girl had its uses after all.

After that, the girls continued to supply a steady stream of alcohol into Naruto's glass. However, this had the unintended affect….

"Konoka-chan!" Naruto cheered, glomping onto the mage cosplaying as a witch. "Dance with me," he pouted, his cheeks reddened by alcohol.

Without waiting for a response, Naruto pulled the girl into a relatively clear area and began to dance.

Giggling to herself, Konoka joined in.

There was no music, except maybe inside the two's heads.

However, the two continued to dance, huge smiles on their faces.

Sakurako approached at this point, intending to lure him away so they could spring their illconcocted trap.

However, when Naruto spotted her approach, his smile grew wider.

"New dance partner!" he cheered, giving Konoka a peck on the cheek before sending her spinning into Setsuna's arms.

Grabbing the luckiest girl in the class by her hand, he brought her close to him, so close that she could clearly feel the shape of his body on her back.

"Dance, dance!" Naruto encouraged Konoka and Setsuna.

Smiling, Konoka goaded the swordswoman into dancing with her.

Watching this silent dance was almost comical. Almost. Instead of laughing, most girls felt a stab of annoyance at how close Naruto and Sakurako's bodies were, swaying together happily.

"Geez, the boss does know how to work me hard, doesn't he?" Naruko sighed, appearing at the cafe doors without warning. No one had even noticed she was gone. "Cause of him I had to go find a band," she said, moving aside to let a group of musicians through. They immediately began to get ready to play

However, just as they'd finished getting set up, the tune in Naruto's head seemed to finish.

Suddenly, Naruto was tightly hugging the cat loving girl. "Aw, you're soo cute," he gushed, "and cheery," he continued, tickling her to get a giggle, "and sexy," he smirked, running his hands down her sides sensuously, causing the girl to blush furiously.

Then, he boldly picked her up and put her over his shoulder. "To the bedroom!" he cheered, causing her to yell out in fright. It turns out all bets were off with a drunken Naruto.

However, before he could take a step, Naruko appeared before him.

"Drop her Boss," she told him.

"Aw, why?" he whined.

"Because, she's not done dancing yet. I want to have a dance with her as well!"

"Sure," Naruto agreed easily enough, putting Sakurako back on her feet and then putting her hand in Naruko's slightly larger yet still feminine hand.

Then with a decisive nod, Naruto left the two alone and headed for the first girl he laid eyes on, Mana.

"What was that?" Naruko asked for the shocked Sakurako. "You don't have to worry, the Boss was just playing with you."

"He was?" she asked, slightly unsure.

"Probably," Naruko grinned. "But man, he was right. You have a really great figure," Naruko said, clearly checking the girl out.

"Hey!" she protested.

"Ah, it's alright, we're both girls, aren't we?"

"Oi, oi, don't forget who you really are," Asuna pointed out.

And then, with a sigh, Naruko let out, "Oh yeah, I forgot for a second."

"Geez, I can't believe you forgot."

"Well it's easy to forget!" Naruko snapped. "That's why the Boss has a self imposed time limit when he uses this Jutsu on himself! Now, to dance," Naruko grinned before pressing herself against Sakurako's body, causing the girl to shiver, and leading her to the sudden dance floor.

Meanwhile…

"Mana-chan, dance with me!" Naruto demanded, grabbing the taller girl by the hand.

With a smirk, Mana stood, turned to give Kaede a superior look, and then followed Naruto to dance.

Needless to say, the prank was an absolute failure; every time one of the girls got near him to lure Naruto away, there would be a cheerful yell of "New dance partner!" and the girls would lose themselves in the Jinchuuriki's pace.

* * *

At close to 4AM the party finished, and the group had begun to make their way back to Eva's Cottage.

Stumbling, Naruto had to rely lean on Naruko to keep him steady on the way.

However, just before they entered the resort, Naruto stood on his own.

"See you later Boss," Naruko said melancholically, just before she and the rest of the clones popped themselves at Naruto's signal.

With the immense rush of memories, Naruto fainted just as the teleportation magic sent them to the Resort.

* * *

A/N: Don't worry, Naruto will find out what happened, just from an unexpected source.

Although I didn't write the scene, girls like Kuu Fei and other Mage knowing girls in 3-A were told the reason for Naruto's kissing spree. And Eva when she was pissed; yeah, she just found out how many girls he kissed. Like she said, she was being naive.

In normal anime, I think in this situation, all the blame would fall on Naruto, but I didn't want to do it like that. I think that Asuna has a fair share of responsibility as well; doesn't mean Naruto is gonna get let off the hook though.

The girl that pretended she was a boy? I'm calling her Crona, after the patron saint of ambiguous gender.

To be honest, I don't like this chapter as much as previous ones, but I guess I'll see what you guys think.

Oh, and one final thing. In a few chapters I'll be starting a new Omake; this one will be canon of the story too. I'm suffering a Block about the Minato one at the moment, but I haven't fully abandoned it. I'll come back to it whn the ideas begin to flow.


	25. Festival: Day 1 to 2 Fragmented Memories

Good news everyone. I'm not dead. Isn't this great! Well, back to the story. I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long, but I was very busy through the whole of November and December, and didn't have much time for this story. I'll try to keep getting at least one chapter out a month from now on.

* * *

"Speaking of which, Negi-!"

"What!"

"Wait, wait!"

"Yah! Asuna!"

The sound of disjointed voices and laughter filled the air, forcing Naruto to awaken.

However, the blond boy that got up was not the usual Naruto. The blond haired shinobi groaned as his jumbled mind began to focus, flinching away from the noises his loud companions were making.

His body protested loudly as he rolled out of the bed and planted his feet on the ground.

Stumbling out of the cool building he was currently in, he quickly shielded his eyes from the glaring light of the artificial sun.

Somehow, he'd ended up sleeping near the beach; the ebb and flow of the sea had probably been soothing, but now that morning had arrived, the girls had decided to play in the water.

As soon as he spotted the girls, they seemed to spot him as well.

"Haha, feeling a bit hung over?" Asuna asked, laughing.

The loud noise caused Naruto's head to throb.

Irritated, Naruto used Shunshin no Jutsu to appear directly in front of the red head.

Naruto appeared mere inches from Asuna, and she could clearly see his bloodshot eyes glaring at her.

"One, shut up. I have a headache. Two, I didn't drink any alcohol last night, so how could I be hung over?" Naruto practically growled.

"Then how do you explain the headache?" Asuna countered, holding her ground.

"Twenty two hours. One hundred clones. Figure it out," Naruto told her, disappearing from her vision for a moment, only to appear back at the door he'd originally exited the building from. He soon disappeared back into its cool and shady atmosphere.

"What did he mean by that?" Asuna wondered out loud.

"I believe he was referring to the amount of mental strain he is under at the moment," Setsuna began. "At approximately 6am, Naruto-sensei created one hundred clones, which were not dispelled until 4am the following morning. Seeing as all of his clone's memories are transferred to him, it means he is processing two thousand two hundred hours of memory. All at once."

"Wha? Seriously?"

"Yes. That is most likely why he has a headache. The alcohol he mistakenly consumed last night almost certainly slowed down this assimilation process as well," Setsuna put forth her opinion.

"Bu-bu-but that's like three months worth of memories."

"Just over ninety days, so yes, I believe you are right."

"Well then, it's no wonder he has a headache," Konoka added worriedly.

"Yeah, you got that right," Asuna agreed.

* * *

Naruto stumbled up the stairs, making his way towards the upper levels where he would be unable to hear the others, allowing him to rest properly.

Passing one of the robot maids, he asked her to bring him some water and aspirin. With a nod, she agreed before disappearing.

The blonde shinobi continued on, finally arriving at the top of the central tower.

He stripped himself of his pants, absently noting that he wasn't wearing the black jacket that he had been given when first forced to wear these clothes.

He clambered into bed just as the robot maid passed him the water and painkillers.

Gulping the both of them down, the Jinchuuriki muttered a "Thanks," before putting his head down on the pillow.

He was asleep in seconds. As he slept, memories of his day began to sort themselves out properly; what started out as a jumbled mess gradually became coherent and clear.

* * *

Day 1: 12:43.

Naruto, or more accurately a clone, hummed as he wandered the packed Mahora streets.

Unlike some of the others, this Naruto had no clear instructions on what to do for the day, other than have fun.

Technically, the creation of a clone to simply goof off was just a waste of chakra, but the Boss had wanted to explore as much of the festival as possible.

Never mind the fact that the original had three days to enjoy it. The phrase 'Pace yourself' was not in Naruto's vocabulary.

He'd spent most of the morning watching the attractions, like the parade or some of the student made rides. Now he felt like playing a few of the games to win prizes.

As soon as the thought entered his mind, he found himself in front of a game stall.

It was the kind in which you threw hoops onto displays to indicate which prize to you wanted.

Smirking, Naruto plopped the money on the stand.

Uneasily, the middle aged man in charge of the game handed him three hoops.

Why was he uneasy? Naruto wasn't sure, but thought it most likely had something to do with the pure confidence Naruto's expression showed.

It certainly didn't help the man's mood when Naruto began to spin the three hoops around his fingers, all on the same hand. With one single slice all three hoops found their mark on some of the better prizes.

The stall owner handed the three toys to Naruto; one an inflatable hammer, one a stuffed toy and the other a cheap plastic gun. However, Naruto merely placed his winnings on the counter next to him as he placed handed even more money to the man, who began to grumble.

Normally, you would think that the stall owner would be amazed at the level of skill Naruto was displaying. However, considering this is Mahora, the stall owner taking this as a usual, if annoying, occurrence spoke volumes.

Lucky for him, just as Naruto prepared for his next toss, a girl's voice broke him from play.

"What are you doing?" Chisame asked, a bored expression on her face. She was wearing the same black uniform as many of the other girls, and held a bag in one hand.

Naruto turned to her and grinned childishly. "Playing."

"I can see that. Do you really intend to do it with a single finger?"

"Er, kind of," Naruto shrugged, glancing at the prizes he had won so far. It seemed that the glasses wearing girl hadn't noticed them.

However, Naruto simply shrugged.

"What have you been up to today?" he asked, looking directly into her eyes as he threw the hoops without looking.

Chisame flushed. _'Like hell I'm going to tell him I've been putting the finishing touches to my costume!'_ she thought. Ignoring his question, Chisame instead asked one of her own.

"Where's Negi-sensei and the rest of them?"

"I dunno. I'm playing by myself right now."

Chisame gave a deadpan stare in response. "Why is it that I feel like I'm talking to a ten year old when I speak with you; Negi-sensei acts more mature."

"Hey!" Naruto pouted.

"And the childishness increases," Chisame continued as Naruto collected his next three prizes, causing the stall owner to cry and Chisame to blink. "When did you win them?"

"While we were talking," Naruto told her. "Here, have this," he handed her a small white rabbit stuffed toy.

"But, you've been looking at me the whole time!" she shouted.

Naruto fixed her with a blank stare. "So…" he said slowly, not understanding what the problem was.

Ever so slowly, Chisame began to rub the bridge of her nose. "Must keep calm," she muttered to herself. "Do you mean to tell me, you threw three of those hoops, and got every single one to hit without even looking?"

However, by the time she asked her question, Naruto was no longer looking at her. "What's that?" he asked instead, pointing to what a child was holding in his hands a short distance away.

Chisame spared a glance behind, before answering, "That's just cotton candy. Now-"

"Is it good?"

"It's sweet," Chisame answered. "Now-"

However, once again the girl was cut off, this time because Naruto had grabbed her hand and charged off towards the stand that was selling cotton candy.

Smiling, Naruto paid for two and quickly handed one to Chisame, who took it with a scowl.

The blond boy was quick to take a bite. "This is good," he murmured.

"It's alright," Chisame shrugged. "Haven't you ever had it before?"

"Nope. Oooh, what's this?" Naruto asked, pointing to another game.

With a sigh, Chisame answered. _'This guy's such a kid,'_ she couldn't help but think.

For the next hour, the two toured the festival together, Naruto asking what something was every so often. It was mainly the western stuff that he didn't know about, so the more traditional Japanese games and foods were largely ignored as the blond wanted to try out the new things.

"Damn. It's getting late," Chisame eventually grumbled.

Naruto glanced up at the sky. "Not really," he noted. "Unless you have somewhere to be?" he asked, looking back at her.

"N-No!" she quickly lied, clutching the bag she held in her hand tighter.

"Is that so?" he grinned. "What's in the bag?"

"None of your business!" Chisame snapped back.

"Aww, please tell me," Naruto begged, his eyes pleading like a child that wanted ice cream.

"I'm leaving," she told him firmly, before quickly walking away in the direction Library Island.

"Should I follow?" Naruto thought to himself out loud. "Nah," he finally decided, before shouting out "Enjoy whatever it is your doing!" to the glasses wearing girls rapidly retreating back.

If she didn't want him there, he'd respect that. Then again, there was always the chance that another clone would be there anyway. "If so…" Naruto shrugged. "Hmm, what to do now?"

Meanwhile, a fuming Chisame practically stomped away. _'Geez, that guy's even more of a kid than Negi-sensei! You're sixteen, grow up!'_

_

* * *

_Day 2: 00:30

Night had long since descended on Mahora, though the festival hadn't waned all that much.

There was still the sound of rambunctious laughter and partying wherever you went, mostly from the middle school, high school and University students. The teachers were more reserved, but still out in full force. Hell, there were even a few grade school brats running around.

Walking alone with a red lollypop in his mouth was one Uzumaki Naruto clone. He was thoroughly enjoying the night atmosphere as he was wandering.

This clone's day had been spent trying every single ride in the entirety of the campus; admittedly, there wasn't enough to fill the whole day, but when he'd tried them all, he'd wanted to do it all over again.

After that, he went around with some of the other teachers, helping the students put their stalls and gimmicks away until the next day. Now he was on the way to a local store to buy as much coffee as possible; those teachers had very quickly noticed that they were running out, and wouldn't even have enough left to last until the morning. On the verge of panic, they'd quickly turned on the youngest and most energetic of the group and told him to get as much as he could, while the eldest of them stuffed his hands with money collected from the entire group of ten.

Halfway to the store, Naruto suddenly smiled as he spotted a familiar face.

"Hey! Sayo-chan!" the blond shinobi called out a greeting, startling the girl.

The pale ghost girl's eyes widened when they locked onto his. Sayo seemed to tremble, before suddenly shooting towards him at full speed, wailing as she did so.

Worried and slightly startled, Naruto let the translucent girl collide with him in an attempt to hug him fiercely. When she began to go through his body, he allowed himself to fall back and onto the ground. His arms wrapped around her loosely as he fell and she inexplicably followed.

It was rather awkward for Naruto to arrange his arms and hug Sayo, as whenever he tried to tighten his hold, his arms slipped through her body, causing them to chill. Meanwhile, she buried her head in his shoulder to cry; literally in this case, as a good third of her head sank into the blond ninja's body.

Fighting back a shiver, Naruto tried to rub the girls back like he had done when he had first met her. Meanwhile, she had one hand in his chest, like she was trying to claw into his shirt, while the other rested on his thigh.

It took quite some time, but Sayo eventually stopped crying. With a sniff, her head left Naruto's shoulder, and she wiped her eyes of tears, leaving them red and puffy.

"What happened?" Naruto asked once Sayo had composed herself. The blond continued to keep an arm around her body in a gesture of comfort.

However, instead of answering, Sayo began to beg. "Please, let out that golden aura. Please!" she grabbed onto his shirt with both hands desperately, or at least tried to.

"Er, golden aura?" Naruto asked, immensely confused.

"Th-that warmth. You did it earlier – it felt so warm and comforting, like when I'm usually around you except ten times better. Please, I want to feel it again!" she cried out again.

Naruto paused for a second, raking his brain for what she could mean. When it finally came to him that she could mean his chakra, Sayo was already crying again, truly begging and pleading for it.

Once again, Naruto wrapped his arms around her, this time releasing his chakra as he did so.

Sayo let out one more sob before relaxing into his hold as the warmth infused her ghostly body. "Thank you," she whispered softly, her voice breaking.

They stayed like that for a full minute before Naruto decided to speak, but before he could do anything other than open his mouth, Sayo began to talk.

"This feeling is so wonderful; it makes me feel happy, it makes me relax, it makes me want more, more of this warmth. But, but it's nothing but a pale imitation."

"What are you-"

"You're so cruel," Sayo accused. "First you give me a taste, and then the full blast of this, of this life. And then you render it all meaningless with one little kiss, and show me just what I'm missing."

"Kiss?"

"I-I-I WANT TO FEEL AGAIN!" the ghost girl suddenly shouted. "I'm dead. I know that. But, because of you, I feel warm. I didn't think about it before, but I miss my body."

There were no more tears after that; Sayo was all cried out now. Instead, her eyes were full of desperate longing for all the things she could never experience.

"You know," Naruto began softly, hesitantly, "I can't make you a body; that is not a skill of the Uzumaki family. I don't know what it could be like for you, to not be able to feel these things. But, don't you feel good whenever you are with someone you care about? Do-Do you hate the fact that you met me?" Naruto asked sadly. The idea that he was the cause of her grief sent a sharp pain through his chest. She had all but said that he was the root cause, after all.

"No!" Sayo was quick to protest as her eyes snapped up to meet Naruto's. "Just spending time with you makes me happy. You were my first friend, and I will never forget what you've done for me."

Sayo thought back, to the first time she met Naruto, to when Asakura said she wanted to be her friend, to when Negi-sensei first noticed her. Of course she didn't hate it. They were important memories for her. "Thanks to you, I made new friends. How could I hate you?"

Naruto gave her a soft smile. "Are you happy?" he asked. "Does being with your friends make you happy?"

Sayo nodded. "Yes," she told him softly. "I don't think I've ever been happier."

"I know that there are some things that you will never experience, but there are others you can. Friendship is one. I'm sure as time goes on, you'll experience more and more good things. I suggest you savour the good, and try to put the bad behind you," Naruto responded sagely.

Still troubled, Sayo nonetheless nodded. "I'll try," she whispered, before snuggling into Naruto's embrace. "Can we stay like this for awhile?"

"Sure!" Naruto gave her a grin. "However long you want, whenever you want. I'll do my best."

"Thank you." Sayo told him earnestly.

She was still troubled, but there was nothing to be done. She was dead, and that was a fact that she had long ago accepted. This was just caused by a reminder of what she had been missing.

After all, there was nothing that could be done; to give her what she wanted would require the power of a kami. Simply put, this was something that she would have to live with, just like she had been doing for so long anyway. At least now she had friends to help her through it.

* * *

Day 1: 17:15

Arashi had to be careful as he slipped silently and unseen through the crowds of Mahora. Naruto, de-aged to a mere ten year old brat, had experienced heaven and hell throughout the day, and wanted to avoid anymore unwanted encounters.

The reason he had taken this form was a stupid one. He'd been tricked.

He'd foolishly agreed to transform into Arashi when he'd run into Chamo and Negi.

The pair had been with another Naruto clone, so one of them had to transform to avoid suspicion.

"Here," Chamo had thrown him a blue age changing pill, and he'd gobbled it down without thinking.

The de-aged Naruto grimaced. "I'm Arashi again," he moaned, looking down at himself, his clothes hanging off of him.

"Well, I'm sure the girls will be happy to see you." Negi had cheerfully told him, naïve to the ordeals that awaited Naruto.

Or maybe not. Perhaps that devious little mind had known all along the torture that was awaiting the disguised ninja.

Chamo had just so happened to have a change of clothes that would fit Naruto's new form, and Arashi went into an alley to change. The vibrant red shirt and dark blue pants smelt weird to Arashi's nose, but he'd paid it no heed. By the time he got out the alley, the group was gone; they'd even taken Arashi-Naruto's teenage sized clothes with them, which was weird.

His encounter with Negi was at around 14:00, and less than five minutes after leaving the boy's company, he'd been approached.

First it was a bunch of kids his own apparent age who had invited him to play with them.

He was happy to oblige, and spent almost an hour with them, trying out games and going on rides.

Soon though, Arashi split from that group, which was when the trouble started.

Looking around through the crowd, Arashi paused for a moment to get his bearings. On the inside, it was just a momentary stop while he made sure he was where he thought he was.

On the outside it looked like a lost little boy who'd become separated from his parents in the crowd.

It was then that the first girl came. She tapped him on the shoulder and gave him a disarming smile as she leant down so their faces were level.

Surprised, Arashi jumped away, and then immediately regretted it as he looked like a scared child.

The woman looked to be a young University student, wearing casual yet fashionable clothes.

"Sorry if I startled you," the woman apologised. "Are you lost?" she asked.

"No," Arashi shook his head.

"Where are your parents?"

"Er, my brothers brought me."

"Oh, and where are they?"

"Er, around…" Arashi mumbled ambiguously.

"Well, why don't I help you look for them?" the woman kindly offered. "Here," she offered her hand out for him to take.

"No thanks," Arashi shook his head, taking a few steps back.

"Are you sure?" the woman asked worriedly.

"Yeah, thank you, bye!" the blond boy shouted as he turned and ran.

Unfortunately he hadn't even taken five steps before he ran into someone.

Bouncing back, Arashi landed on his backside with an oomph.

"Hey, watch where you're going," a girl's voice angrily scolded him.

"Huh?" Arashi looked up to find a group of three first year high school girls, plus one high school boy. One girl was looking down at him with a scowl, another was giving him a smile, and the third had stars in her eyes and looked like she was holding herself back from glomping him. The boy looked at Arashi sympathetically, most likely knowing what his friends would do next.

"Sorry," Naruto muttered as he stood and dusted himself off.

"Tch, little brats should be more careful," the girl continued.

"Lay off him," another girl interjected. "He's just a kid." The girl who stood up for him turned to Arashi. "Well, aren't you a cutie? Are you alright? Don't worry, these nee-chans and nii-chan aren't going to bite," she added when she noticed that the ten year old was slowly backing away in fright.

Arashi inwardly cursed; this body was affecting his mind and emotions. Momentarily distracted, Arashi didn't notice the hand that came down to ruffle his hair lightly.

When he felt it, he quickly knocked the hand away, his face slightly flushed as he did so. He hated being treated like a child. Pouting, the blond boy couldn't help but glare at the cheerful girl who had so far been sticking up for him. However, just as he was about to yell at her and storm off, the third girl finally seemed to reach her limit.

"KYAAH!" she squealed, leaping forward to wrap her arms around him and force his head into her chest. "You're soooooooo cute!"

Immediately Arashi began to wriggle and writhe, desperately trying to escape the suffocating hold the girl had on him. "Get off me!" his shouts were muffled as his mouth was squashed against the top of her stomach.

This just seemed to make her giggle though. Thankfully, Arashi didn't have to suffer long; four people were prying the girl away from him. Two people had grabbed onto Arashi, the scowling girl and the woman who seemed to think he was lost from earlier; two others, the boy and the cheerful girl had grabbed the girl that seemed to be trying to take Arashi into her body. They pulled, and suddenly Arashi was free.

Both parties of three collapsed in a tangle of limbs. It took a few moments for them to disentangle themselves and get up, but when they did, Arashi was flustered; the scowling girl looked almost murderous, as if blaming the blond boy her friend's actions; the woman was looking on in disapproval; the cheerful girl stood up, looking faintly bemused, though not really surprised.

The final two, the boy and the girl who had tried to kill Arashi, continued to lie on the ground. The black haired boy released a tired sigh. "Ai-chan, please don't go around hugging little boys. You'll get a reputation like that half-Japanese Iincho," he told her as he climbed to his feet, holding her hand and helping her up as he did so.

"Sorry," the girl, Ai, blushed. "Its just he's is soo cute."

"What, and I'm not?" he asked jokingly, causing the girl to giggle.

"Of course you are," she told him, squeezing the hand that was still entwined with hers. They smile at each other softly…

Meanwhile, unnoticed, Arashi had already hightailed it out of there.

That was just the start of the blond ten year old's troubles; it seemed that everywhere he went, there was someone trying to help and worry about him, thinking he was a lost child, or in the case of several girls, cuddle the life out of him.

For the Naruto who grew up alone, this was seriously freaky, and often he ended up bolting.

Of course, the idea he needed help bugged him especially. He was a ninja, which, granted, not many people knew. However, the fact that they didn't think he was a Mahora student was just weird. Shouldn't that be the first thing they thought when they saw him?

'_Not like it matters,'_ he thought, ducking out of sight into an alley and climbing up the wall.

However, just as he pulled his upper body over the top, he had to duck down to dodge a flying nun.

"Whoa," Arashi breathed, his legs still dangling off the buildings side. He turned his head to watch her disappear down an alley some distance away, having been running along the roofs at incredibly fast speeds.

Pulling himself up fully, he decided to see what the problem was. However, just as he was about to set off, he felt a presence closing in. Turning, Arashi spotted his own blond hair flash past. Looked like another Naruto was handling it, causing Arashi to breath a little easier.

Still, the blond boy couldn't help a niggling sense of worry. His fellow clone didn't even seem to notice him, which was beyond strange. Turning, Arashi began to head in the direction the nun came from to investigate; she was obviously running away from something, and to Arashi, that meant there might be a monster to defeat. Or a decent fight. Either or would be fine.

After following the trail for a short while, the only thing he found was another girl. Her skin was chocolate brown, and her eyes were red. She looked Arashi's apparent age, and was wearing nun robes as well.

Arashi landed next to her; she was staring off into the distance; her gaze flickered to him when he landed, and then she turned her attention back into the distance.

However, almost immediately they flickered back to him and pinned him with a stare.

Shifting uncomfortably under the gaze, Arashi put a grin on his face. "Hi, my name's Arashi. What's yours?"

"Cocone," she stated simply.

"Nice to meet you Cocone."

"Why do you smell of Love Potion?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Arashi began to sniff his shirt experimentally, detecting that strange smell again. "How did- I'm going to kill Chamo next time I see him."

"Oh, well," Arashi shrugged. It couldn't be helped now. "Anyway, I spotted this nun… She looked kinda familiar actually. Never mind that though; she was running away from something, so I came to investigate. Do you know what it was about? You look like you were together," the blond boy gestured to her nun habit.

"Yes."

"You do? What was it about then?"

Cocone ignored him and instead began to scan the horizon again.

"Hey! At least tell me if she was in any danger!" Arashi demanded, stepping closer to the girl.

This caused the girl to turn her attention back to him. "Love Potion," she firmly reminded him, her cheeks taking on a very slight red tinge.

"Oh, sorry!" Arashi backed away hurriedly.

"She is not in any danger," Cocone responded after taking a moment to compose herself.

"Well, that's a relief."

The dark skinned girl held his gaze for a moment, and found nothing but genuine relief that a random stranger wasn't in any danger.

There was silence again as Cocone turned back to scanning the roof tops for her friend.

"Well, as long as that's sorted out," Arashi said uncertainly, his curiosity suddenly dead as he began to walk past her.

That is when her hand lashed out, grabbing onto his wrist. "The sun will set soon."

"Er, yeah."

"Sit."

"Erm, okay," Arashi sat, and Cocone followed, taking a seat beside him.

After that, they sat in silence, watching the summer sun set and the fireworks begin.

* * *

Day 1: 16:25

Sitting down at a bench were four people. Naruto and Yue sat on one side, while Negi and Kotaro sat on the other.

"Time travel…" Yue muttered, considering it. "Certainly, from all I've seen recently it's possible, but this magic still really surprises me."

"Its not magic; it's high-grade technology," Negi corrected her.

"Does it matter?" Naruto asked.

"Well, it is said that magic and sufficiently advanced technology are indistinguishable," Yue put forth.

"What about Magitek?" Naruto asked.

"I shudder to think of all the possible applications of a technology that ignores certain currently recognised laws of physics."

"Well, I'm not sure about current magitek, but there were a few items that we ran off of chakra back home. Course, we didn't call it magitek… Mostly we just used it for the mundane everyday stuff, like hijacking phone lines, telepathic communication over long distances, mind reading. The usual."

"I see. And did you ever have time travel technology?" Yue asked, honestly curious.

"We have Time-Space ninjutsu, though I'm not sure anybody actually went backward and forward through time."

"Hmm, interesting."

"Yeah, but most Time-Space jutsu uses a Fuuinjutsu based method of ninjutsu, and I don't have anywhere near enough knowledge in that field to even try something as complicated as a 3500 year jump backwards in time. I've asked the toads to look into it, but they're not hopeful."

"Hey Negi, did you get any of that?" Kotaro turned to his companion, utterly lost.

"I think so," Negi replied.

"So have you been time travelling too, Naruto-sensei?" Yue asked.

"Nope. I'm just a clone," the blond answered.

"I see," Yue said, a hint of annoyance in her tone. "How many times have you gone though time?" she asked Negi.

"This would be my third time," was the child teacher's response.

"Well then, there is something I want to ask you. How did your date with Nodoka go?"

"What! You went on a stupid date with that mind reading girl?" Kotaro spluttered.

"It wasn't a date! We just walked around the festival for a bit."

"Yes it was!" Naruto and Yue insisted.

"Umm, it turned into a bit of a disaster," Negi answered, not willing to argue his point.

"Yeah, Aniki and Naruto-nii got into a giant mess," Chamo added.

"A normal day then," Yue quipped.

"Oh, what happened to me?" Naruto asked.

"Well…" Negi began.

"I don't think we should," Chamo cut in.

"Did you have fun?" Yue quickly interjected before the discussion could go on a tangent.

"Yeah, I think we both had a lot of fun," Negi answered with a smile, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"I see," Yue gave a soft smile. "I'm glad."

"Geez Negi, getting riled up because of girl troubles. How boring," Kotaro needled.

"Kotaro-san, I don't think you have a right to interject. This has nothing to do with you," Yue argued.

"Nothing to do with me? Me and Negi's match still isn't decided yet. If Negi got weaker because of girls, it'll never truly be settled!" Kotaro shouted, slamming his hands on the table.

"I noticed this before, but I believe you are too concerned about stupid things like winning and losing," Yue replied calmly yet forcefully.

"What!"

"Furthermore, I don't think someone who only cares about being strong will ever truly become strong."

"Gak! How-" Kotaro tried to argue back, but Yue continued to steamroll him.

"Also, 'Not knowing what love is, means not knowing true power.' To think of love as pointless is foolish," Yue finished him off with a quote.

"Wha?" Kotaro stumbled back in shock, collapsing onto his hands and knees. "Love? What is love?" he mumbled to himself as Negi clapped, impressed with Yue's words.

"Thank you for the praise," Yue told them. "That last line was from my philosopher grandfather," she admitted, her chest held out high.

"Not bad," Naruto commented, causing Yue jumped in shock. She had momentarily forgotten he was there. The blond ninja looked amused, a small smile on his face.

"So you agree with me?"

"In part," Naruto grinned at her, before glancing at the recovering Kotaro. "I wonder what he thinks about it," he mused.

"AARG! Even if you say that," Kotaro jumped up and shouted, invading Yue's personal space as he poked her in the shoulder, "without strength, how can you protect the person you love? In the end, being strong is everything to a man!"

"Then what comes after being strong? Is it to hold onto the title of 'strongest'? It is impossible to achieve infinite strength and knowledge, everyone who seeks power will one day find a limit. When they reach that point, they will begin to see their own weakness. If you can't see the weakness in your own strength, there is no difference to strength and weakness at all. A test of power will be as meaningless as children comparing heights."

"Wha? Wha?" Kotaro stuttered, unable to find a retort.

"There is no such thing as a limit," Naruto interrupted. Yue turned to look at him, ready to speak, but Naruto beat her to it. "While achieving infinite knowledge or infinite strength is impossible, continuing to grow in strength and knowledge is not. Me and _that _guy always used to say, 'If there is such a limit, we will break it. Higher and higher, unending, we will never stop.'"

"Ha!" Kotaro laughed at the dumbstruck look on Yue's face.

"And is there point to such strength, Naruto-sensei?"

"Yes; I want to get strong enough to protect the ones I love, and make sure no harm will come to them. Well, that and because I didn't want to lose to _that _guy. It was that simple."

"So you acknowledge that love is important to achieving strength."

"Absolutely. I've already told Negi this, but I was once told 'When you have something truly precious to protect, only then can you become truly strong.' So yes, I agree with you on that point." Naruto turned to Kotaro and fixed him with a stare. "She is right in some ways; strength without meaning is pointless. However, you are young. Both of you are," Naruto addressed both boys this time. "I don't expect either of you to have much of an interest in girls right now, and that's fine. Besides, there are many types of love; love for your home; love for your family; love for your friends. And yes, that includes rivals," Naruto smirked as both boys denied that they were in any way friends. "One day, it'll be for romantic love too. You should not concentrate solely on strength and forsake everything else. As in all things, there needs to be a balance." With that finished, Naruto bobbed his head twice with his eyes closed, not noticing the slack-jawed expressions on everyone's faces.

When he noticed the looks he was receiving, Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Sorry for rambling, but this is what I believe. I hope it didn't sound too stupid."

"N-Not at all," Yue told him, still reeling.

"Argh! I don't get this at all!" Kotaro roared, storming away.

"I guess I'll have to calm him down, huh?" Naruto shrugged, standing up and following after the half dog demon.

"Wai-" Yue half called. She wasn't done yet. However, it was too late and the shinobi had disappeared.

"Well; that was unexpected," Chamo commented.

Meanwhile, Naruto chased after Kotaro, who ran flat out in an effort to clear his thoughts. Eventually, the half dog demon came to a halt in an alley to catch his breath.

However, "Yo," Naruto greeted, leaning over the smaller boy.

Kotaro jumped in surprise.

"Wha, what are you doing here?"

"What do you think of what me and Yue were discussing?"

"I didn't think anything of it. It was nonsense."

"Liar," Naruto accused. "Something we were saying really got to you. I want to know what."

"It was nothing!" Kotaro once again made to leave, but Naruto's words caused him to pause.

"Well, when you're ready to talk about it, I'd be happy to listen."

For a moment, Kotaro faltered… but that moment passed and he continued on.

* * *

The Resort. Present time.

When Naruto woke up, he immediately smelt food. Stretching, he stood while grabbing the plate of onigiri he found in his room.

When he left the room, he headed to the beach.

Looking at the sky, the rejuvenated shinobi found it was mid to early afternoon.

This time, when he arrived at the beach and saw find Negi practicing a type of shunshin, Naruto had his normal grin plastered on his face.

"Yo," he greeted, causing Negi to miss his footing on landing and crash into the sea, hard.

Nearby, Kotaro winced in sympathy. "Bad timing Aniki."

"Hehe, sorry. Where are the girls?"

"I think Konoka-nee-chan is cooking. I don't know about the other nee-chan's."

"Huh. They should be training somewhere, right?"

"That's what I said, but they seem to be just playing around."

"What about Eva-chan and Cha-chan? Where are they?"

"I'm not sure about that super advanced robot, but Negi's scary master was here a few hours ago. She threw Negi a ring to use as a wand type thing, then disappeared somewhere. I think she said 'Well, I've got a bit of training to do myself. After all, I'll accept nothing less than a crushing victory.' And then she started laughing like a mad woman."

"That does sound like Eva-chan. I wonder what type of training _she_ could be doing though?"

Kotaro shrugged.

"And what about you and Negi?"

"Negi's practising Shundo."

"Instant movement, huh? Isn't it just an amazing skill to have?"

"Definitely."

"What about you?" Naruto asked. "What are you up to?"

"I'm perfecting my Shundo too. Tho' I've gotta get Negi going first."

"Race ya'," Naruto grinned. "My Shunshin versus your Shundo."

"You're on."

With a zip, both boys disappeared from sight.

* * *

"Hey, Aniki. How does chakra work?" Kotaro asked.

He, Negi, Naruto and the girls were all sat around the table, eating the dinner Konoka had made for them.

"Why do you ask?"

"I was tryin' to explain Chi and stuff to Negi before, and we got curious."

"Come to think of it, I don't know much about Magic and I've got no idea about how Chi works at all," Naruto mused, scratching his chin.

"Chi comes from inside the body," Setsuna answered. "It's like burning our own energy to power attacks."

"Magic is different; it is the natural spiritual energy collected from the environment, and then brought under the uses control to use as they see fit," Chamo continued.

"And chakra is the mixing of physical and spiritual energies inside the body," Naruto finished.

"You mix energies together?" Asuna asked.

"Yep. Chakra is very good at accepting different forms of energy to be mixed together with it. What about Magic and Chi. Can you mix stuff into them?"

"Well, there is Kanka," Setsuna told him. "When you mix Magic and Chi. Apparently there is a special way to do it, but I'm afraid I don't know the method. Other than that, those two types of energy are used in a pure form."

"If chakra is made by mixing two energies, will the outcomes be affected by the mixture ratios?" Negi asked.

Naruto blinked, and then his face scrunched in thought. "I've never really thought about it before, but that sounds right…"

"You mean you don't even know?" Asuna shouted suddenly.

"Well, I just do it. I don't think about it," Naruto told her with a shaky voice. "Ratios and stuff only came up when I was learning that beastly Ball, and that was positive and negative."

"Wait, so there is positive and negative energy too?"

"And nature, when you change the physical properties of chakra to suit your needs and transform it into stuff like wind and lightning," Naruto added. "And shape, which is when you manipulate the chakra into various shapes, from blades to human bodies."

"I'm getting a headache," Kotaro groaned.

"You're not the only one," Naruto muttered an agreement.

"Anyway, I _think_ the handseals do all of this stuff automatically, even the spiritual: physical ratios; then, once you get a good enough feel of how the chakra flows through the chakra circulatory system, you can reproduce it through feel alone."

"Wait, wait, circulatory system?" Asuna asked.

"Yes, its a-"

"You know what," Asuna interrupted, holding up her hand to stop him, "forget I asked."

"Done," Naruto answered with a sigh of relief.

Time passed, and Konoka smiled as she finished her meal. "Are you feeling better, Naruto-sensei?"

"Oh yeah, much," Naruto grinned. "Sorry for snapping at you earlier Asuna, but with my memories still trying to sort themselves out, I was a little irritable."

"Its fine," the red head dismissed. "So, got your head sorted out then?"

"Pretty much. I had some weird dreams though."

"Like what?" Konoka asked.

"Like, watching Eva tackle one of my clones and stick her tongue down its …" Naruto blushed. "Nevermind," he mumbled, embarrassed.

"Have you been dreaming of kissing Eva-chan?" Konoka teased.

"What! Why would a dream of kissing that little girl?"

"Aww, your face is red. That's so cute." The white mage continued.

"Erm, you didn't happen to dream of kissing anyone else, did you?" a flustered Asuna asked.

"I didn't dream about kissing anyone! Especially not Yue or Cha-chan!"

"Ufufufu, you've been fantasising about lolis? I didn't know you were a man with such tastes," Chamo giggled like an old man.

However, soon a chill pierced through him as Naruto's cold blue eyes focused on the white ermine. "Speaking of little girls, Chamo. Why did you give Arashi clothes laced with love potion? Hmm? Thanks to you I was forced to watch a romantic sunset with a girl no older than Negi."

"Erm, well, that was, ah," Chamo stammered.

Lightning quick Naruto's hand shot out and caught the chain-smoking animal before it could scamper away.

"I'm sorry," he tried to get out, but it was muffled by the tight grip Naruto had on Chamo's furry body.

"I'll forgive you… But first, you need to answer some of my questions."

"Wh-What do you want to know?"

Naruto grinned, before Shunshining away.

* * *

After their little chat, Naruto decided to do some physical training, running around the compound one hundred times, and then going out onto the water to work on tai-jutsu with his clones.

On the other hand, Chamo slunk back to Negi muttering about "Mad men with mad plans."

Night had long since fallen by the time Naruto made it back to the resort. Heading up to his room at the very top, Naruto couldn't stop himself from checking up on the others.

Asuna had a room to herself for once, and was stretched out over her entire double bed, sound asleep.

In the next room over, Konoka and Setsuna shared a room, and were sleeping on single beds less than a metre from each other.

On the next floor up, Naruto found Kotaro; he was awake, if just barely, and Naruto left him to drift off.

However, it wasn't until Naruto reached the very top that he found Negi, still trying to perfect his Shundo.

Naruto watched him as he skidded on the ground and fell on his ass, and then called out to the boy.

"Its time for bed," the blond told the younger boy. "Don't you want to be well rested for tomorrow?"

"Geez, nii-san, you sound like a worried mother," Negi pouted.

"The least you could say was a caring older brother!" Naruto immediately shouted back. "Now, go get some rest, otherwise you'll regret it tomorrow. You've go a hard day ahead, after all."

"Doesn't that apply to you too, Naruto-nii-san? After all, you're fighting Master right off the bat…"

"You let me worry about that cute ickle vamp, you've got your own problems, haven't you? How you feeling about facing off against Takamichi?"

Negi let off a shiver. "I'll do my best!"

"Your best, huh? Well, I guess that'll be fine."

At this, Negi made a strange face, half relief and half annoyance. _'He doesn't expect me to win.'_ This thought went through Negi's mind.

"What's up?"

"D-Do you think I can win?" Negi asked in a quiet voice.

"Of course! Even the strongest of foes can be beaten!" Naruto grinned. "I'll be looking forward to seeing it!"

With that, Naruto disappeared with a wave.

As the blond descended, he stopped for a moment, only to catch the noise of a body crashing into the ground. A slow smile formed on his lips. _'Training even when you should be resting, huh? Oh well, that's fine too.'_

Sweaty from the day, Naruto entered the bathing room inside the resort.

He was intending to relax for abit, and then head off to bed. He wasn't expecting Eva to already be lounging in the hot water, soaking her body.

She raised a single eyebrow at his appearance, but then smirked. "Well, well, isn't this a surprise."

However, instead of leaving, or yelling, or blushing like she expected, the shinobi simply sat down and began to wash himself.

"I heard you've been training," Naruto commented. "I didn't think you would do any preparation at all for little old me."

"Ufufu, well, I decided that I'll settle for nothing less than a complete and utter victory; I'm going to humiliate you tomorrow, and prove to you once and for all that you are beneath me and should treat me with respect."

"You're really that confident you'll win, even without your magic?" Naruto grinned. "Could you get my back?" he asked.

With a splash, Eva stood up and began to scrub. "You'll see," was all she said.

"…Then, do you want to up the ante?"

"What do you want?" Eva asked warily.

"Hehe, that's a secret. But I'm wiling to offer you my blood. As much as you want, whenever you want."

Eva couldn't help but lick her lips as the thought played through her head. "I'm looking forward to it," Eva's voice came out huskily.

"That's only if you win," Naruto said as both of them relaxed into the steamy water, side by side.

"Red wine?" Eva offered.

"No thanks."

"Tsk," went Eva, as though disappointed. "We need to talk about Chachazero."

"Yeah. I don't know why she called me Master."

"She'll be spending tomorrow with me. Frankly, you've been spending way too much time together. We'll all have a proper talk the day after."

Naruto let out a laugh. "You just want some mother-daughter bonding time, don't you?"

"Don't say it like that," Eva replied with a small blush, but there was no heat in her words.

"Well, enjoy your family day," Naruto continued to laugh.

"By the way, why aren't you embarrassed to be sharing the bath with me?"

"Eh? Why would I be embarrassed around a little girl like you?"

Eva twitched. "Die!" she yelled lunging for his throat. Naruto just continued to laugh.

* * *

Day 2: 06:00

They left the resort as a group the next morning, Eva wearing a short black dress, with black arm warmer wrapped in white ribbons, black knee-high boots and black shorts. At her side, Zero-chan was wearing a black top-hat and cloak with white fur on the top and bottom. Both Setsuna and Asuna were wearing a white school uniform top and black skirts, Konoka was wearing a white mage outfit, while Kotaro wore his normal school uniform. Negi was wearing a white mage robe that went down to his ankles, covering his black pants and top.

The only one not dressed and ready to go was Naruto, who scrambled into his room.

However, when he opened the door he found the floor covered in cheap toys, plushies of all shapes and sizes, and all kinds of things you would expect to win at a festival.

"Stupid clones," Naruto muttered as he made his way to the shelf he kept his clothes on. "Hey girls. Presents!" Naruto called the others into his room.

Looking on through the doorway, Konoka quickly dug into the toys and plushies, while Asuna shyly scanned through them. Hiding it as much as possible, Eva joined her.

However, just as Naruto unsealed his clothes, he noticed something red on his futon. "Eh? Why is there a bra in here?" he asked aloud.

All attention slammed onto him as he picked up the brassiere by the strap; all the girls were quick to note how big the cups were.

"Is this yours, Chibi-chan?"

"Its obviously not!" a furious Eva retorted.

"You…" Asuna breathed. "It was only supposed to be a kiss, and yet you…"

"How dare you bring some hussy into my house and do this and that with her!" Eva took over.

"Mummy; will Master bleed for this?" Zero asked.

"Oh yes, indeed he will."

"Can I make him bleed?" the doll continued, a maniacal gleam in her eyes.

"We'll both do it, how about that?"

"Thank you mummy!"

"Wait, no, I didn't do anything!" Naruto protested, backing away slowly.

Eva just continued to move forward, flanked by Zero and Asuna.

"Hold it Chibi-chan! Can't you wait until our match?"

"No."

"Aw, c'mon. If you kill me now, you'll never get your present!"

"Who cares about some stupid present," Eva dismissed.

On the other hand, Zero paused. "Mummy, you'll really like the present."

Eva turned to her oldest companion. "On a scale of one to ten-"

"Fifteen," Zero didn't even let her finish the question.

Eva snorted, but ended up relenting. "Fine, I'll wait for the match."

"I still get to cut him up a little after that, right?" Zero asked.

"Of course you do dear."

Zero beamed

"It better be worth it, Naruto." With that, both Eva and Zero swept out of the room.

However, Asuna was still approaching, emanating killing intent.

Suddenly, Naruto's eyes widened as he pointed behind Asuna and shouted, "Takamichi, what are you doing here?"

The effect was immediate. Asuna span on the spot and bowed, a blush on her face. However, when she looked up it was only to find Setsuna and Konoka.

Pissed beyond belief, the red haired girl turned around again, only to find the red bra on the ground, and the blond shinobi gone.

* * *

"Alright, contestants! Here are the rules!" Asakura began. By now, all the contestants had arrived and greeted each other; all that was left was to go over the rules and then the matches could begin.

Asakura was wearing a little white dress which left her back bare, with red stripes going down her sides, while Chao, the sponsor, stood beside her, wearing a long white robe.

"The stage is 15m x 15m, and the matches will last 15 minutes each. If the match exceeds the time limit, the final result will be by vote. If you are knocked down or are out of bounds for 10 seconds, you lose. Of course, you can forfeit the bout any time you want too. Weapon usage is the same as yesterday; no blades or bullets. No incanted spells either."

"Erm, I don't know about spells, but can you call out the attack name?" one guy asked uncertainly.

"That's fine," Chao answered with a wink.

"Well, I think that is everything. The first match, Uzumaki Naruto versus Evangeline McDowell, will begin in fifteen minutes."

After that, the contestants split up to do some last minute strategizing.

Wearing his orange and black jacket with his red with black flame coat, Naruto sat alone, his back to a nearby pillar. His eyes were closed and he looked deep in thought.

"Hoooo, Naruto-sensei is the type to meditate-de gozaru. I never would've thought," Kaede commented to her two companions. She was wearing a pair of dark purple pants and a similarly coloured dress-vest over a white shirt.

"It does seem strange," Mana agreed. The gunslinger was wearing a long white robe with baggy sleeves.

"A calm Naruto-sensei is weird-aru," Kuu Fei added. She was wearing a yellow Qipao that went down to mid-thigh, with slits up both sides. A pair of white stockings adorned her legs.

All three girls were standing nearby the blond, observing him closely.

"He is facing Evangeline," Mana pointed out. "To calm down and take this fight seriously is only to be expected."

"Naruto-sensei has a handicap too. He won't be using chakra at all-de gozaru."

"Doesn't that just make it even-aru? Eva-san doesn't have her powers right now, does she?" Kuu Fei asked.

"No; but she is an evil mage who has centuries of combat experience," Mana stated. "I hope Naruto-sensei has a plan."

"Ara ara, so you'll be cheering for Naruto-sensei then?" Kaede's face crinkled in amusement.

However, Mana was unflappable. "Of course. I'm hoping to pay him back for yesterday."

"Oh, but to do that you'll have to get to the finals. I get first crack at him."

"I'm not worried. I'm sure he'll beat you, and I can just finish him off."

"Don't think I will be easy to beat-de gozaru," Kaede glared at Mana, who returned the look with equal animosity.

Kuu Fei gulped at this. "We all friends here, right? There no need for us to fight-aru."

"You mean you don't want to fight him?"

"I-I just want to fight strong enemies!" Kuu Fei declared to her first opponent.

Mana gave a small smile in response. "Well, it looks like there are plenty here." The dark skinned girl glanced around the room. "Setsuna, Evangeline, Naruto, Takamichi; all of them are going to give us some trouble."

"Kotaro and Negi have really been training hard as well-de gozaru. Kotaro-kun still hasn't gotten over his feeling about striking girls though, so I'm not sure what he would do."

"Hmm," Naruto hummed, bringing the girls' attention back to him. They waited a bit for him to add his thoughts... "Delicious meat buns," the blond mumbled.

"You're asleep!" Mana shouted, whacking the blond on the head and into wakefulness.

"Wha?" Naruto continued to mumble tiredly, rubbing the bump that was quickly forming on his head.

The three girls left quickly after that, Mana grumbling to herself about idiotic ninjas.

Naruto stood with a stretch, making sure the pillar kept him out of Asuna's line of sight. "Kotaro doesn't hit girls, huh? That's good to know," Naruto grinned.

"Will contestants please make their way to the arena. Matches will be starting soon!" Asakura announced.

"Let the games begin," Naruto whispered to himself as he left the contestant area and went into the bright sun light.

* * *

A/N: Hmm, let's see.

Shundo - Instant movement.

Shunshin - Body Flicker.

Someone finally decided to challenge the whole Naruto wasn't abused thing.

Anon-

2 STRONG reasons why naruto was abused. 1 SAKURA HARUNO, ya the bitch in regular psychology when a child finds something they enjoy that wont result in any negative repecussions they tend to indulge in this case sakuras constant physical and mental abuse of naruto meaning if kids could hit him and get away with it with their parents supporting them then they sure as hell WILL. 2 GAARA different village sligghtly different circumstances same problems the only protection that the law the sandaime passed was that they couldnt spread the word about the kyuubi being sealedthat wouldnt stop people from attacking him only encourage the need for them to act out against him as they most likely felt oppressed and would undoubtedly blame him. so in conclution i find your 'naruto wouldnt get beaten' reality a bullshit theory and i hope you actually READ THIS

My response - Sakura - Yes, because _one_ person engaging in semi-comedic violence = OMGRAGEVILLAGEMOBBING. I maintain that the only reason she got away with it is becasue Naruto let her get away with it. If anybody else tried it in their age group, Naruto would have fought them tooth and nail. Also, there is a difference between children and adults engaging in this kind of behaviour. Children fight. Ninja children are trained to fight well.

Gaara - No civilians atacked Gaara. It would be suicide to do so. Ninja's only attackd Gaara because they were ordered to. And I can't believe that you are comparing the Kazekage, who tried to have his own son killed, to Sandaime, who genuinely cared for all his people. Which actually brings up another point, do you really think that the people of Konoha would have the balls to attack the Kyuubi container and risk its release? Again, do you really think that if Naruto WAS getting attacked, the Hokage would do nothing?

This is all a moot point though, becasue I asked for actual manga/anime scenes or, failing that, heavily implied hinting. The best you could do was Sakura and her "You are pissing me off!" violence and Gaara "My father ordered my death but everyone else was afraid of me". Must admit, not terrible points, but no where near good enough.

Well, anyway, sorry this chapter is shorter than others.

Next time, a very important match between two very old, but very youthful blonds.

Until then, see ya!


	26. Festival: Day 2 The Tournament: Part 1

Outside, the sun shone brightly on the arena, which was surrounded by water on all four sides. A single clear path allowed contestants to walk to the stage. On each side there was a crowd of people, watching and waiting. Close by, and on either side of the path that led to the stage, there were seats set up for contestants to watch from.

"And now to start our tournament, we have on one side Evangeline McDowell, AKA the Doll Master, the Gospel of Darkness and countless other names, feared by those in the know!" Asakura held out one arm widely as she presented Eva to the slightly confused crowd.

The spectators began to mutter to themselves, surprised at the age of the two combatants. Sure, they muttered, the blond guy was one thing, but the little girl? She was going to be crushed.

Eva preened under the attention Asakura was giving her favourite titles, causing Naruto to roll his eyes.

"On the other," Kasumi gestured to Naruto, "we have Sage Uzumaki Naruto, a man known in some circles as Kamigari, or the God Slayer." Naruto smirked, and Eva returned his earlier eye-roll with a sneer.

"Or, as they are better known around here, Eva-chan and the Mysterious Hotty."

"Don't call me that!" both blonds yelled at the same time.

"Jinx!" they continued in tandem. "Damn it!" the bickering continued, and the crowd began to laugh a little at their antics.

Asakura interrupted them with a chuckle. "Here they are, giving off a feeling of being very close. As expected of housemates."

"In what way am I close to that buffoon?" Eva cried out, pointing a shaking finger at the shinobi.

Naruto sniffed as though he was going to cry. "What, don't you like me?"

"Of course not! You're an idiot of the highest order and stubborn beyond belief; every other word that comes out of your mouth is nothing but a joke."

"Love you too Chibi-chan," Naruto blew her a kiss.

"ARGGGHHHH," Eva screamed at the top of her lungs as her blood pounded in her ears.

"Are we ready to begin?" Asakura, their referee, asked them.

"Not quite. I want to get our bets straightened out," Naruto said.

"Good idea," a panting Eva agreed. "When-"

"If," Naruto idly corrected.

"-I win, you will do whatever I say for the whole of tomorrow. Furthermore, you will refer to me as My Mistress at all times, as well as allow me to drink your blood at my whim," Eva stated imperiously. "And remember, you are not allowed to use chakra. If you do, you have to forfeit."

"And if I win, you have to call me Onii-chan and fulfil one of my requests. Deal?" Naruto returned boastfully.

"Deal."

"Ready?" Asakura asked, backing away from the two and giving them space.

Both blondes nodded.

"Now, let the first match BEGIN!" the red haired announcer signalled the start of the battle.

Naruto didn't waste a moment as he charged the vampire, who simply smirked in response.

Closing in, the shinobi searched carefully trying to determine any tricks, looking for the slightest telegraphed movement as he threw a right jab.

Just as his fist began to close in, she side stepped slightly to Naruto's right, one arm coming up to deflect his arm, and throw him off balance. Her other arm impacted heavily with his chest in a palm-thrust as Eva took a single step forward.

Naruto was quickly sent flying back, but recovered quickly as he rolled backwards and landed on his feet.

The crowd gasped at this shocking turn of events – it was the exact opposite of the quick finish they had been expecting.

"No hesitation," Eva continued to smirk. "No holding back. You came at me full force. I'm glad you did."

In response, Naruto flashed a simple grin.

"Impressive," a voice from the stands announced. More specifically, the voice came from the speakers set up around the gallery, and the origin was one man with his black hair twirled into a pompadour. Beside him sat Chachamaru, also commentating.

"It seems our resident martial art expert, Gotokuji Kauro has some insight into Eva-chan's skills," Asakura announced.

"Yes. It seems to be a type of Aiki-Jujitsu," he explained with a small grin.

"You mean the type of skill which uses the opponent's own strength against them?" Chachamaru asked for the good of the audience.

"Exactly. No matter how strong, if you can turn the enemie's own strength against them, it's meaningless. But to find so young a practitioner, I really am surprised."

"Oh, so that's it?" Naruto asked, having been listening to the commentary.

"CAN YOU PLEASE NOT GIVE AWAY HOW PEOPLE'S TECHNIQUES WORK TO THE IDIOT!" Eva screeched.

Gotokuji shrank back into his seat. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"No need to get that angry, Chibi-chan."

"SHUT UP! I've waited too long for this opportunity to utterly, publicly humiliate you," she pointed at the orange clad ninja. "Far too long to risk letting it go because the COMMENTATOR," she wildly gestured to the stands where Gotokuji sat, "couldn't keep his mouth shut!"

"Thank you," Naruto told her sincerely.

"What for?" Eva broke out of her rant to ask, honestly puzzled.

"For thinking that that little bit of information would make a difference in our match. You must respect me a lot for you to think that," he said softly.

"Shut up!" a red faced Eva retorted, crossing her arms with a pout.

"Then again, you seem to think I wouldn't have figured it out on my own…" Naruto said under his breath as Eva took out a folded up metal fan.

In the end, Naruto simply shrugged.

"Surely you have more than Aiki though?"

Eva smirked. "You'll just have to come at me and see."

Naruto took that challenge head on as he once again charged at her. This time he was ready though, and as she counter attacked, he ducked, changing his punch to a tackle.

Still, Eva side stepped, casually jumping over one of Naruto's flailing arms, bringing down her iron fan on his exposed back.

However, before the blow could land, Naruto slammed one hand to the ground hard, turning the tackle into a rolling overhead kick, which Eva was forced to dodge.

With a flip, Naruto landed on his feet, his back to Eva.

The undying Mage was quick to capitalise on the brief opening available to her by closing the distance while his back was turned, and when Naruto tried to turn with a punch, she was already guiding it to miss and throw him completely off balance.

With his side left open, the vampire jabbed her fingers into his body. She hit Naruto twice before he swiped at her, forcing Eva to jump away.

"Pressure points?" Naruto asked rhetorically, favouring his right side slightly.

The only answer Eva gave him was a snort.

With a final shrug, once again Naruto went on the offensive with a right jab, which she re-directed, and then when he tried to knee her, Eva used the leg as a springboard to put some distance between them.

Naruto didn't let up for a moment and leapt after the vampire, giving her an over head spinning kick which she deflected with her fan. Landing awkwardly on his feet, Naruto aimed a punch to her stomach, but was once again deflected. This time however, Eva diverted his wrist downward, and, using his own momentum, grabbed the back of his neck and forced it downward. At the same time, Eva continued the movement of his arm, flipping Naruto fully so he landed on his back.

Twisting Naruto's wrist to distract him, Eva aimed a strike at the downed shinobi's throat.

However, Naruto pulled his arm back, simultaneously releasing a kick aimed at Eva's exposed ribs, forcing her to back away again.

Again Naruto attacked, this time with an elbow strike which was skilfully redirected; using his leftover momentum, Eva used one leg to trip him up, grabbing his arm and pinning him as he fell, his forehead impacting with the wooden floor heavily.

However, before Eva could get the leverage to properly pin him, Naruto twisted his body hard, throwing Eva off balance and forcing her away.

"Whoa, this is incredible!" Gotokuji gasped on the sidelines. "This young girl really is a master of the art!"

The ninja stood quickly and chased after her.

Over and over again, Naruto continued to throw punches and kicks, only for the vampire to throw him around with his own momentum, attempting to twist him into painful pins which he barely managed to escape from.

* * *

The girls, Negi, and Kotaro observed the match from the contestant seating, watching as Naruto was thrown around the ring.

"I was expecting a little more from Naruto-sensei," Mana stated with a frown.

"It's not that Naruto-sensei is unskilled-aru," Kuu began, "but Eva-chan is a master."

"Why does he keep attacking?" Asuna asked.

"Because he'll lose if he doesn't-de gozaru," Kaede answered. "If he refuses to attack, then either Eva-san will go on the offensive, and he'll be the one forced to counter attack. Considering what she has shown us so far, that does not seem favourable. Or, neither will attack and time runs out; in that case, Eva-san will be declared the victor for sure-de gozaru."

"Eh? But why?" Asuna continued to question.

"Because, in Evangeline's case it is 'choosing not to attack,' while in Naruto-sensei's case it is 'unable to attack,'" Mana answered.

"Eh, really? Do you really think he's thinking that far ahead?" Naruko asked.

"Ga! When did you get here!" all of the girls asked all at once.

"A minute ago. Why, didn't you notice?" the blond girl asked. Her long blond hair was in twin tails, and on her head were two black horns. She was wearing black long sleeved gloves and thigh high black stockings. Her shorts were similarly black, with a devil tail sticking out the back. At the front, the top of her shorts curled up and out into a crescent shape, the points of which fell an inch short of her navel. Her top consisted only of a black top which hugged the outsides and middle of her breasts, leaving the bottom of her breast, and her cleave almost completely exposed. A thin strap held the top together at the front.

"Don't sneak up on people like that!" Asuna yelled.

"Besides, isn't this a competitor only area?" Mana asked.

Naruko answered silently by pointing at Naruto. Mana could only shake her head at that.

"But Master really is amazing," Negi gasped. "To not use any magic, and still be this strong."

"Mummy can use a little magic," Zero corrected the red haired boy. "Thanks to the World Tree, I can move; it won't be until tomorrow that I'll be able to dance in a rain of blood freely though," Zero giggled. "Right now, mummy is still only on par with a middle school student physically, and her spells are really limited. But then, Master has promised not to use chakra, so…" Zero trailed off.

"Hey, Zero, who do you want to win?" Chamo asked.

"Oh, Albert," Zero looked at the white ermine she called drinking buddy. "Don't ask me to choose between mummy and Master," the puppet looked conflicted.

"Eh, don't worry too much," Chamo handed over a glass of wine. "Let's just enjoy the show."

* * *

Back in the ring, Naruto continued his relentless assault with a left back hand, which Eva once again deflected. Her eyes followed the movement reflexively, and by the time she realised her mistake, it was already too late.

Distracted by the left feint, a right hook was already heading for her cheek. With one arm busy redirecting Naruto's left, and the vampire's other arm already moving to create on opening, there was no time for Eva to redirect his fist or even dodge the blow.

Eva's fingers twitched.

Naruto grit his teeth in pain, his fist mere centimetres from Eva's face. Wrapped around Naruto's right wrist were nearly invisible threads, the blond noticed with surprise. They bit deeply into his skin, causing blood to seep out around the wires; the blood trailed off along the wires, giving the deceptive appearance of blood suspended in midair.

Smirking evilly, Eva moved one finger sharply, and Naruto felt even more threads wrap themselves around his arms, legs and neck.

With a flick of her wrist, the shinobi was sent flying into the air. When he landed, Eva immediately yanked her hand back, and Naruto's body contorted. His hands were pulled away from each other while his legs felt as though they were tied together and pulled in a third direction. With his body hovering an inch above the ground, the Jinchuuriki was stunned.

"It seems contestant Naruto is having some major problems, while contestant McDowell is tossing him around like a rag doll!" Asakura announced.

It started as a light pressure on his right shin, and then his left thigh, and then his stomach. Looking down his body, Naruto found Eva standing on his stomach, looking down on him with a sneer.

"Wires, Chibi-chan?"

"I am the Doll Master. At full power I can control up to 300 dolls within a three kilometre radius," Eva boasted.

"Cool," Naruto complimented, memories of Kankuro surfacing. He and the other puppeteers would never be able to pull anything of that scale off. From what Sakura told him, even at the top of his game, Sasori cold only control 100 puppets.

With another twitch of the Doll Master's fingers, Naruto's bonds tightened.

"I don't suppose you're going to give up?" the mage asked rhetorically.

"Nope!" Naruto continued to grin.

"Well, that's good. It gives me longer to humiliate you. One way or the other, you will respect me. Whether I teach your mind or your body is of no consequence to me. Now, lick my boots," Eva said, pressing one foot into Naruto's face.

"It seems contestant McDowell has finally trapped her elusive opponent, and is taunting him ruthlessly. Shall I begin my count?" Asakura asked the clamouring crowd rhetorically.

"No!" Sayo shouted, emerging suddenly from behind Askura. "Go Naruto-sensei!" the transparent ghost girl shouted.

In response to Eva's actions, Naruto opened his mouth and bit down on Eva's boot with all his might.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH," Eva screamed, hopping back and cradling her toes. Naruto had bitten right through her shoes to get at her toes.

In this moment, the wires loosened; Naruto wasted no time in breaking the threads that bound him and launching a strike at the distracted vampire.

Her eyes widened as the clenched fist sped towards her and landed a devastating blow to her face. She was sent flying back, and skidded before coming to a rolling stop.

"You're not the only one with sharp teeth," Naruto told her downed form, giving a grin that showed off his super sharp canines.

And then with a puff of smoke her small body transformed into log, causing the spectators to gasp.

"Wha?" Naruto's eyes widened.

"Well, that was a close one," Eva wiped a bit of imaginary sweat from her brow as she reappeared in the far corner of the arena. "You almost had me there."

"Tha- that was _Kawarimi no Jutsu_," Naruto accused. "How the hell do you know that?"

Eva smirked. "Those chakra scrolls you showed me… I'm very grateful for them."

"Bu-but I only gave you those two weeks ago!"

"That was all it took, especially with my resort," she told him matter of factly. To her, this wasn't an achievement worth boasting about. What took most children years of hard work to accomplish, the activation and utilisation of their chakra, Evangeline did in a fortnight.

"Yeah, but why would you even try to learn it?"

"What a stupid question," Eva scowled. "There is no such thing as useless knowledge, and this chakra stuff definitely has its uses. Well, I'll admit that when I first asked, I wanted to know simply to sate my own curiosity. However, since the bet and this tournament, I decided to use it against you. What better way to prove how beneath me you are than use your own power against you? And the best part? If you try to match me, you'll be breaking your vow. But don't let that stop you…" she finished with a malevolent grin.

"I always keep my word, Eva-chan, you know that," Naruto replied, his eyes hard. Reaching behind him and under his cloak, his hand went into the weapons pouch he kept on his belt. When he withdrew his hand, he was holding a length of ninja wire and four explosive notes.

"You need chakra to activate those," Eva immediately pointed out.

"That's only when they are set to remotely activate. These ones have a timer," Naruto corrected.

"You still need chakra to make them," Eva insisted. "That makes them off limits."

"Well, let's ask our ref, shall we? What do you think Kasumi?"

"Eh? Me?" Asakura was stunned.

"You are the referee, aren't you?" Evangeline asked contemptuously. "Hurry up and decide. I'll even spell it out nice and clearly for you. Is something made with the use of chakra, and that uses chakra to activate count as Naruto using chakra in this match-"

"-Even if I'm not using chakra to activate it," Naruto finished for Eva.

"Er, let me think about it?" Asakura half asked and half stated.

Seeing her confusion, Naruto approached the red headed girl.

He subtly moved the microphone away from their mouths and said something to her, too quiet for Eva to hear.

She replied in kind, causing Naruto to grin.

"Well, it seems she's made her decision!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. "And it was a good one too!"

"Bloody hell Asakura, don't side with him just because he's good looking!" Eva yelled.

"I'm not!" Asakura retorted angrily.

"Let's see, I think a one second time-limit is good, don't you?" Naruto stated, biting his thumb and smearing blood over the explosive notes. With that, Naruto began to charge forward.

Eva's fingers twitched, but Naruto was already expecting the threads. With his own wire, he sliced into his left palm and with a wave of that hand, his blood splashed onto the wires.

Able to see them now, Naruto could narrowly dodge and weave through them.

Noticing this, Eva immediately changed tactics and created four _Bunshin_, which split up and headed to the four corners of the arena.

Only one of them had a shadow, so Naruto immediately focused on that clone, ignoring the others without hesitation.

In close range now, Naruto aimed on open palm strike at Eva's body, but she deflected it easily and flipped him away.

However, Naruto simply cartwheeled using his redirected momentum; where his hand had hit the wooden floor on the way past he planted two explosive notes, one on top of the other.

"Boom for the boom god!" he cackled as Eva closed her eyes and jumped back, bracing for the blast.

_'Oh no! I should've used the Kawarimi Jutsu!_' she thought to herself suddenly. _'Too late now.'_

However, the expected blast didn't come. Still in the air, Eva made a small sound of surprise as her eyes opened cautiously, only to for one of them to be hit by the fist of one Uzumaki Naruto.

Eva flew through the air and landed harshly, her iron fan slipping out of her hands and flying into the water. When she got up 5 seconds later, she was clutching what would rapidly become a black eye.

"How come there was no boom?" Eva asked dumbly.

"Eh, Kasumi said that, yeah, explosive notes would be using chakra. She was agreeing with you," Naruto informed her.

"But, but, you- You tricked me!" Eva thundered.

In response, Naruto stuck his index fingers in both corners of his mouth and stretched it open in an obnoxious grin. "Of course I did! I'm a ninja!"

"DIE UZUMAKI!" Eva screeched, yanking her wires and directing them to bind the orange ninja's arms and legs. That done, she pulled him into the air, his limbs splayed in a star shape. Even his fingers were forcibly opened, forcing the blond teenager to drop his dud explosive notes.

Eva approached slowly, savouring this. No more games, no more plying around, this was it. She was going to finish him, and this match.

When she stood before him, it was to find the blond boy signalling to his right, as though having a silent argument with someone.

The vampire turned in that direction, only to find the peanut gallery made up of the boya and his friends. "You'll get no help from there," Eva told him coldly.

Blue eyes locked on blue eyes, and Eva scowled. "No," she stated more to herself than Naruto as the vampire noticed she had to look up to meet the Jinchuuriki's eyes. "You will bow," she ordered, forcing Naruto to his knees.

Double checking, Eva visibly made sure that there were threads binding his neck and all four limbs.

Only when she was satisfied did she get within reaching distance of him.

"You've caused me quite a bit of trouble, but now, now I'll get my proper respect. Say it," Eva put all her might, both as a former Lady and as one of the most feared practitioners of magic in the world, into this command.

"And once again contestant Naruto has been trapped by contestant McDowell. Does this spell the end for the Mysterious Hotty!" Asakura speculated. The audience was screaming, some egging Eva on, others encouraging Naruto to rip free and finish the bout.

Wriggling in embarrassment, Naruto mumbled something too quietly for Eva to hear.

"What was that?" she asked loudly, relishing the humiliation she was inflicting upon him.

He looked at her with pleading blue eyes. "It's embarrassing," he blushed.

"Say it. Call me by the name you promised."

"Can I at least try and get used to it in private first?" he whimpered.

Enticed, Eva leaned closer. "Then, at least the first time, whisper it in my ear," she told him.

She was cheek to cheek with him now, and still he continued to wriggle feebly. She was unworried about any possibility of retaliation what with the wires around his neck, but she couldn't help but check on it anyway.

_'Now, which one is the neck?'_ she asked herself, looking at the wires wrapped around her fingers. _'Wait, I don't remember putting one around his neck!'_

"I don't know about mistress, but how about my Magistra Magi?" Naruto whispered as the smoke bomb he'd been trying to jiggle loose finally came free.

"Eh?" was all Eva could say as she and Naruto were engulfed in smoke.

Then, she felt a warm sensation on her lips as a magic circle bloomed to life around her.

"Pactio!" the voice of Chamo announced, the light of a magical circle flashing to life briefly beneath them.

For Naruto, it felt like fire was burning through his veins, as his entire body was filled with a burning heat.

The Doll Master was so shocked at the contact, Naruto felt his bonds loosen and he slipped free quickly. His hand immediately shot out and caught the card that materialized from out of midair.

He didn't even look at it before calling out "Adeat!"

The card instantly transformed into a dull staff. The shinobi gave it a single twirl as Eva looked on, stunned. The smoke still obscured them from the crowd, but not each other. "This kind of tingles!" he laughed.

That was when he smacked his foot with his new staff.

"OW!" Naruto yelled loudly, hopping up on one foot, causing Eva to laugh as she awoke from her shock.

"Chance!" Naruto yelled as suddenly hit her in the stomach with the butt of the staff, which he only just realised was metal.

Eva doubled up and flew from the smoke.

"Wow! Eva-chan's just come flying out of the smoke. Oh, it seems contestant McDowell is down! I'll start my count!" Asakura announced. "1."

"Ah! Abeat!" Naruto de-summoned his new weapon as he hurriedly limped out of the smoke, worried about Eva. He hadn't meant to hit her that hard.

"You bastard!" Eva cursed from on the ground, clutching her stomach. "That fucking hurt!"

"Sorry, sorry," Naruto apologized, bowing his head slightly.

"4."

"You just-! Ga!" she vomited up a little blood. "I'm going to kill you for that!"

"What, for hitting you or the other thing?" Naruto asked.

"Both!"

"7."

"That match should've been mine!" Eva whined. "Wait, that smoke bomb…?"

"Made without the use of chakra and used without the use of chakra. It was legal," Naruto answered.

After that, Eva could do nothing but stew in impotent rage, too injured to really continue.

"9, aaaand 10! Winner, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Victorious, Naruto threw his left hand into the air in celebration as the crowd erupted into wild cheering.

"I think you should both head over to the infirmary," Asakura suggested to the two as the crowd screamed their praise, covering her microphone with one hand.

"Probably," Naruto muttered, staring at the rapidly healing cut on his palm. With a shrug, Naruto began to limp off.

"Damn it Uzumaki, don't just leave me here!" Eva shouted as she stood up weakly, wiping blood from her lips.

Naruto turned to her with a grin. "Is that how you should be addressing me?" he wondered aloud. "I could have sworn you promised to call me something else."

"You- You-" Eva growled. Then, she audibly swallowed. "Take me to the infirmary… Onii-chan," Eva ground out.

"Too cuuuute!" Naruko squealed as she suddenly appeared, tackling Eva into a hug without another word and nuzzling her cheek to cheek.

"Hey, got off me!" Eva rebelled, trying to push the larger girl away. "Help me Onii-chan!"

Eva's eyes widened. She hadn't meant to say it that time. With mechanical eyes, she turned to look at Naruto.

The blond boy's eyes were sparkling. "Too cute!" he too squealed as he joined his clone in nuzzling Eva's other cheek.

Not far behind Naruko, the others had come to offer their congratulations. "That was quite a display," Mana complimented Naruto, her eyes narrow at the way he was still affectionately rubbing his face against Eva-san's, despite her protests.

"You did very well turning that around," Kaede agreed, nonchalantly pulling the male blond away from Eva.

"I don't know," Kotaro retorted. "Seemed a bit cheap to me. Not enough fighting."

"I'm still trying to figure out how you won," Asuna added. "I mean, were did that smoke come from and how did you get out of the wires?"

"Eh, you didn't see?" Naruto asked as the tall kunoichi dropped him back on his feet.

They all shook their heads.

"Oh, well, I…" Suddenly, Naruto felt a chill. A strange premonition came over him. It would be a very bad idea to show his Pactio card right now. "I-I'll explain later," he told them, scratching the back of his head.

"Oi, clear the stage!" Asakura told them, making shooing gestures with her hands.

With that, the two blondes made their way to the infirmary, the girls throwing apologetic glances as they decided to stay for Kotaro's match.

Naruto was limping as he moved, but still stooped down to sweep Zero into his arms as the puppet wobbled over to them.

"That was so cool!" she cried out in delight. "My favourite part was when you flung your blood all over the place!" she told him, mimicking Naruto's earlier actions.

Naruto just gave her a bemused smile as he made his way over to Eva.

The blonde vampire was current being helped along by Naruko, at least until Naruto relieved her of her task.

"Go watch Kotaro's match," he told her. "Watch carefully," he whispered.

Naruko nodded as she headed back to the contestant area.

"What was that about?" Eva asked as Naruto began to help her along, Zero hobbling along beside them.

"Nothing at all," he smiled back.

* * *

After arriving at the infirmary, the two had their injuries tended to. Naruto merely had a slashed palm and wrist, both of which had already started to close, and a bruised foot, which wouldn't take long to heal at all.

Eva's wounds were slightly more serious; the black eye was nothing, but Naruto had caused severe damage to her stomach and that would take time to heal.

Sitting on her bed, Eva was pouting at her loss. Meanwhile, Zero was waiting outside nearby on Eva's orders. The Undying Mage had something she wanted to talk to Naruto about in private, and Zero was only to come in when Naruto left.

"Are you gonna be alright?" Naruto asked, sitting at the foot of Eva's bed.

"With the magic of the World Tree flooding the area, I'll be fine by tomorrow," Eva dismissed his concern contemptuously.

"Oh, that's good then," Naruto replied somewhat lamely.

"You made a Pactio with me," Eva accused.

"Yeah. I was actually going to ask for one if I won; that was going to be my request. Now my request is that you let me keep it."

"Fine… I suppose you earned it. It is a surprise that you didn't just make one with Negi though."

Naruto made a disgusted face. "I refuse to kiss a ten year old boy."

"Then why didn't you just use the blood-pact method?"

"What blood-pact method?"

"You're kidding, right?" Eva asked, deadpan.

"No…"

With that, Eva began to laugh. "You-You didn't know? You can make Pactios with a blood exchange just as simply as with a kiss!"

"What! Why didn't that stupid ermine tell me!"

"Who knows!" Eva continued to cackle. "Well, let's have a look at it then," Eva stuck out her hand after she'd calmed down a little.

Silently, Naruto handed her the card, their proof of contract.

Most prominently on display was Naruto himself; he was wearing the clothes that he was wearing at the moment, Sage robes and all. In front of him and in his left hand he held a dull looking staff. His other hand was making a handseal. He proudly faced forward with a large grin on his face; the normal magic circle directly behind him.

Eva glanced at the top left hand corner and found the number IX. _'Just as expected,_' she thought to herself. In the top right corner was the word _Tonus_, and above that the word _Luteum_; as a backdrop was an orange circle. In the bottom left corner was the word _Astralitas_, and below that the symbol for male. Directly below the symbol was the word _Mars_.

In the lower middle of the card, _Naruto _was written in large flowing letters. Above his given name, written in the same style but much smaller was the name _Uzumaci_.

Directly beneath his name were the words_ Propugnator Improvisus_.

By the picture's feet was another section.

First the word _Virtus_, and below that in large writing, the word _Fides_.

Similarly, the next line had the word _Directio_, and beneath that, the word _Centrum _in larger letters.

However, the card was all too pale. A normal Pactio would be brighter or darker in colour; this card's colours were a pale shadow of what it should be.

Shaking her head, Eva duplicated the card and handed him the copy. "We'll need to do the Pactio again," she told him simply

"Eh? Why?" Naruto asked. "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing's wrong, per se. It'll work just like any other Artefact card, except… It won't work as well because of the seal. If we do it again later, when my powers are more fully awakened, it will work better."

"Fine," Naruto moaned. "We'll do it again later." Naruto frowned after a moment. "But why did you give me this," he waved his pale Pactio duplicate lamely, "if we just have to do it again?"

Rather cheery, Eva answered. "That card is not just a tool. It is the proof of our contract; it symbolises that we are Magistra Magi and Minister Magi."

"Well then, my Magistra Magi, I think I'll be going now," Naruto stood.

"Wait," Eva suddenly ordered. "Don't you have a present for me?" she asked expectantly.

"Later," Naruto grinned back, causing Eva to pout.

However, Eva suddenly grinned evilly. "But really, I had no idea you were such a monster."

Naruto frowned. "You know I don't like being called that," he reminded her, but Eva simply waved the complaint away. "What do you mean anyway?"

"From the start, you didn't pull your punches at all, did you? Every word was meant to manipulate my emotions, every act a deliberate movement to further your plan. Physically, emotionally, psychologically, it was all perfectly planned to manipulate me and get you the win. That entire match was designed by you completely."

"Nah," Naruto dismissed her praise completely. "If you had kept up with pure thread work and Aiki, you probably would've won. It was only when you started using chakra that I figured out a plan. Now, I'm going to go and watch the matches. Do you want to come with?"

"No, not right now; come get me when the boya's match starts. You can use the Pactio," she suggested, knowing he wanted to play with his new ability.

"Sure thing," Naruto grinned as he left.

After he was gone, Eva couldn't help but sigh a little. "To come up with a winning strategy on the fly; now I really do have to praise you." Suddenly, Eva's smirked evilly as she gazed at the Pactio card. "Just what I expect from my newest servant."

As Naruto left, he spotted Zero watching a butterfly flutter past her, and she tried to catch it in her arms. However, she gave up her pursuit of killing flying insects when she noticed her Master's exit. Moving toward him as quickly as she could, the blond shinobi patted the top of her head when she got close enough, and told her to keep mummy company for the day. With a single nod, Zero slipped into mummy's room.

* * *

When Naruto arrived back at the arena, Kaede was already battling an eighteen year old man named Yoh, armed with a wooden sword.

"Huh? Kaede-chan's match already?" Naruto asked.

"That's right," Mana agreed.

"I blew right through my enemy," Kotaro told Naruto simply, before turning his attention back to the match. Negi stood beside him, equally attentive.

Glancing to his right, Naruto spotted Mei and Takane, the latter wearing a long dark cloak.

"What happened?" Naruto turned to his female clone.

"See for yourself," she giggled. Both blond ninja formed a cross-shaped hand seal.

A poof of smoke briefly obscured Naruko, and when it dispersed, nothing had seemed to change.

"What just happened?" Asuna asked.

"Naruko popped herself and I replaced her," Naruto answered with a shrug. "Gotta keep up with the memories; I don't want to overclock it and have a repeat of yesterday... Or would that count as this morning?" Suddenly, Naruto grimaced. "In fact, it was kinda weird anyway... The memory transfer never usually takes that long or is that painful."

"Why is she even here anyway?" Asuna couldn't help but ask. "No, wait. How many clones did you even make today?"

"Well, Naruko's here because otherwise it would be suspicious. It's cause my stupid clone just had to transform into her that she now has an identity here. If she suddenly stopped showing up, it might make people suspicious."

"Isn't that a little too paranoid?" Mana asked.

"Well, all those reasons plus you can get away with a lot when you look like that!" Naruto stated with a florish, indicating Naruko's body.

Asuna and the others gave him a look as if asking 'Are you serious?'

"What?" Naruto asked in response.

"It's just that... yeah, Naruko is attractive, but she's not that great," Asuna told him.

"Lies!" Naruto shouted back. "Naruko's a masterpiece. I spent years perfecting her," he declared, grabbing said blond girl by the wrist and pulling her to him. "Everything from her shapely legs," Naruto bent down and stroked those legs as he stood, "to her tight ass," he squeezed said ass, "to her beutiful hips," he continued by running his hands over her hips, "to her waist and breasts," he ran his hands over Naruko's sides and then ended by cupping both her breasts, "all of it was designed to exude sex appeal! She's a work of art I tell you!"

"Geez Boss, you're embarrassing me," a blushing Naruko told him.

"Well, don't be. Your body is magnificent and you know it," he told her with a sincere smile, his arm wrapped around her shoulders in a half-hug.

"Boss..." Naruko said softly, her eyes sparkling as she looked into Naruto's own bright blue gaze.

"Are you sure you've never even thought of sleeping together?" Asuna deadpanned.

"Hell no!" both Uzumaki's shouted together. "How could you even suggest that, you pervert!" Naruko continued.

"I'm a pervert!" Asuna shouted back. "You're the one wearing such a showy outfit!"

"Yeah, I am. You going to do something, you Paipan?" Naruko smugly replied, using a half remember insulted that caused Baka Red to lose it the last time Uzumaki heard it directed at Asuna. Naruto couldn't help but wince. Naruko shouldn't have said that, her male self knew.

With an angry roar, Asuna unleashed a punch at Naruko, who nimbly dodged, slipping behind Asuna's guard with ease. Placing a gentle hand on Asuna's cheek, Naruko leaned in so her hot breath could be felt on Asuna's lips, and the blond whispered in her most sultry voice, "Don't touch me so roughly, Asuna~chan~. Otherwise, I'll just," she shuddered, "explode," the blond finished with a long drawn out moan, her eyes pleading with the red head with such intensity that Asuna couldn't help but blush, her earlier anger forgotten as she back-pedelled.

"Wha! Ga!" Asuna was rendered speechless.

"What's wrong, A~su~na~chan," Naruko once again closed the distance between them. "We were just getting to the good part," the blond licked her lips sensually.

"Stay away from me!" Asuna screamed as she turned tail and ran from the female ninja, who immediately began to chase after her.

"See," Naruto grinned in triumph. "Pure sex appeal."

"That's sex appeal -aru?" Kuu questioned blankly.

"But I'm surprised," Mana told him. "To think that you could act like that?" she half asked half stated.

"Naruko's just playing up a role; it's easy when you're transformed. Especially when you don't have to copy someone else." Naruto explained. Then, he suddenly frowned. "Naruko! Don't do anything too bad!" he shouted, just before the blond could disappear around a corner.

Naruko responded with a pout, but nodded before resuming the chase.

"Asuna-san isn't going to forgive you for this," Setsuna told him matter-of-factly.

"I know," Naruto replied, a waterfall of tears on his cheeks. "I know."

"And 10!" Asakura shouted from the stage. "The winner is Nagase Kaede!" Kasumi continued by raising the kunoichi's arm to signal her victory.

"Eh? What, Kaede-chan's match is over already?" Naruto asked.

"Well, if you'd of been paying attention to the fight...," Mana offered with a shrug.

"Instead you spent the time feeling up Naruko-san," Setsuna finished with a grimace.

"It was a good fight -aru," Kuu added with a shake of her head, disappointed that the ninja hadn't been watching.

"Ma, ma," Naruto embarrassedly waved it off. "As long as she won, I'll get another chance to watch her fight. Who's up next?"

"I am," Takane declared, taking a step forward.

"And you are?" Naruto asked, causing those around him to look at him in shock.

"Wha?" Takane gasped. "You-" the blond shadow user cut herself off as she remembered the words of her underclassman.

'He just wants to start again and pretend that the next time is your first meeting. I...' Mei hesitated. 'I don't he'd be mad if you told him to stuff it, but... I think he doesn't know what to do, so he just wants to forget about it. It's up to you if you'll just let it go.'

"My name is Takane D. Goodman. Nice to meet you Naruto-kun," the shadow mage bowed her head slightly in greeting.

"Nice to meet you too, Takane-chan!" Naruto grinned back.

"Are you flirting with girls again-de gozaru?" Kaede teasingly asked as she suddenly appeared.

"Waah!" Naruto screamed in surprise, before spinning around and pointing an accusing finger at his fellow ninja. "Don't sneak up on someone like that! And I wasn't flirting!" he snapped.

"If you'll excuse me," Takane said somewhat tersely as she stalked by the two towards the stage.

"Now, onto round 5 of our tournament!" Asakura declared loudly and happily. "On one side we have Tanaka from the university engineering department, and on the other Takane D. Goodman."

The two stood facing each other in the arena; Tanaka was a giant of a man, with long with spiky white hair, a hard angular face and dark sunglasses. On the other hand, Takane, while rather tall for her age and gender, was dwarfed in size.

Takane gave a quiet laugh as she stared him down, before suddenly turning away from him. "Finally!" she shouted out loud and pointed into the competitor's stands. "Negi-sensei! You shall truly understand my strength. I won't let you slack off on your duties anymore..." she suddenly trailed off as she noticed the intent stares of both Negi and Naruto, who were paying her their full attention.

With a pleased, if slightly red face, she turned back to the hulking behemoth before her. "It's regrettable for you, but I'm going to have to use you to prove my point. All those muscles of yours don't matter to me," she told the man haughtily.

"Understood," came his robotic reply.

"Alright, begin!" Asakura signaled the start of the match.

Tanaka-san's mouth opened wide, and out slowly slid a wide pipe. "I shall begin with my maximum power," he said with an almost electronic voice. As soon as the words left his mouth, a beam shot forth, and Takane struggled to dodge it, only just jumping to the left in time to avoid the strike.

"By the way," a new, if familiar, voice came from the speakers; a new announcer had joined the group temporarily. It was Hakase of class 3-A. "Tanaka-san stands for T-ANK-Alpha-3 – hence Tanaka-san, -san, as in third. He's a prototype weapon built by the engineering club." She cheerfully announced.

This news caused a small stir among the spectators, who soon found themselves perfectly fine with this. The one exception…. "What the hell! Robots! And not one of you finds this weird! Is such technology even available in this day and age! This is a major deal here!" came from Chisame, who was sat in front with a clear view of the matches, her laptop out and open before her.

"GO TAKANE-CHAN!" Naruto yelled out proudly, pumping his fist into the air encouragingly.

"Hmm, I thought you two arguing?" Mana asked.

"Yeah-aru. You pretended you didn't even know each other," Kuu commented.

"Yes well," Naruto began uneasily. "It's complicated. No need for you guys to worry though."

"Is that so –de gozaru? Kaede asked, but Naruto said nothing more on the subject.

"Speaking of arguments," Kotaro suddenly piped in, "have you and that scary girl made up?"

"Eh? Scary girl?" Naruto asked. He was still carefully watching the match, but was listening to those around him with half an ear. "Do you mean Eva-chan?"

"Yeah, her," Kotaro answered.

"Huh? Master and Naruto-nii-san were fighting?" Negi asked. Then, realising his poor choice of words, tried to correct himself with a light flush. "I mean having a fight, not fighting as in the match just now."

"We weren't fighting," Naruto told the dog boy simply. "What gave you that impression?"

"You two were really going at it in the bath last night," Kotaro replied easily, unaware of the reaction around him.

The girl's eyes widened and they stared at Naruto in shock.

"I mean, you were shouting each other's names and everything," the brunette boy continued.

"Nah, we were just fooling around," Naruto told him.

"Yeah, Master and Naruto-nii-san are always like that," Negi agreed.

"I thought you were asleep anyway," Naruto pointed out with a small frown.

"Oh, you guys were so noisy that it woke me up. When I went to check it out, I found you two wrestling in the bath. I thought I shouldn't disturb you, so just went back to bed," Kotaro answered with a small glare.

"Sorry, sorry," Naruto mumbled an apology. "I didn't think we were that loud."

"It's fine," the half demon brushed his apology aside. "Why do you even play around like that anyway?"

"Hmm," Naruto hummed as he tried to think of a suitable answer. The blond didn't think that Kotaro would understand Naruto's enjoyment of teasing people, especially those that held onto a fake high and mighty attitude. Naruto much prefered it when they were completely honest with themselves. Instead, Naruto just absentmindedly patted the boy on the head as he told him "Maybe one day, you'll understand."

"Certainly, Kotaro-kun may have misunderstood," Mana whispered behind them, "but you don't really think…"

"Eva-san is much older than she looks, and we know Naruto-sensei has experience in these matters- de gozaru," Kaede argued her point in equally low tones. "It is indeed possible Kotaro just didn't truly comprehend what he was seeing, and attributed it to wrestling. He is only ten years old, after all."

"But Eva-san and Naruto-sensei?" Setsuna's voice came out in a shaky whisper.

"They are rather close-aru," Kuu Fei added, much more loudly than the others.

"Who's close?" Naruto asked, turning around slightly.

The girls jumped in surprise. "No one-aru!" Kuu yelled out.

Naruto gave the girls a strange look, but turned his attention back to the match as Takane continued to narrowly dodge laser beams and rocket punches.

"Quietly, Baka yellow!" Mana hissed.

"Sorry," the Chinese girl bowed her head.

"You don't really think that Naruto-sensei and Eva-san were-" Setsuna cut herself off with a blush.

"I don't think this debate is going to get us anywhere," Mana told them. "We should just ask him directly."

"What?" Setsuna barely restrained her shout into a strangled whisper.

"Is a good plan-aru," Kuu agreed with a nod.

"No, I have a better idea –de gozaru. Follow my lead," Kaede instructed. She turned to the dog boy with a smile. "Kotaro-kun," she called to get his attention.

The half demon turned to face the ninja. "Yeah Kaede-nee-chan?"

"Have you ever been taught the birds and the bees?"

"Wh-Wha!" Naruto choked out, Negi right beside him doing the same.

Mana, Setsuna and Kuu Fei face faulted in surprise.

"No. What's that? Is it an awesome technique?" Kotaro asked.

"Oh, you could say that," was Kaede's cheeky response.

"Cool! Will you teach it to me?"

"Well, I could… but I think Naruto-sensei would be much better at it than me. He has real world experience, after all."

Kotaro immediately turned to Naruto. "Will you teach me Aniki!" he pleaded.

"No!" Naruto shouted out his gut reaction.

"Listen, Kotaro-kun, it's not a technique," Negi tried to warn his friend, but…

"What! You know it Negi? Who taught it to you?" Kotaro asked.

"Well, my Onee-chan mostly, and Naruto-nii-san told me a little too," Negi explained bashfully.

"Hey, you taught it to him, but you refuse to teach it to me!" Kotaro angrily accused. "I'll just have to learn it from Kaede-nee-chan then!"

"Like I said earlier, I only know the theory; I've never had any true, hands on experience myself-de gozaru. And Naruto-sensei has done it with how many people was it?" Kaede asked with a sly smile.

"What are you talking about now? I've only ever done it with one person!" the thoroughly flustered Jinchuuriki shouted.

"I see," Kaede said with an air of victory about her.

"Not bad," Mana complimented her rival.

"Thank you-de gozaru," Kaede nodded her head in acceptance of the praise. "But really," she once again addressed Naruto. "Now we now Kotaro is ignorant, he needs to be educated."

"I agree," Setsuna added.

"But-but," Naruto fumbled.

"UZUMAKI!" the voice of a familiar red head roared, suddenly appearing in Naruto's vision.

The blond didn't even try to dodge Asuna's fury filled punch, and he was sent flying back and away from the horrible conversation he had been dragged into.

Skimming the water lick a rock, once, twice, Naruto landed on the outer area of the arena, where Asakura stood, looking down on him in surprise.

Holding the rapidly forming bump on his, Naruto got to his feet with a groan. "Aww, that hurts Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined.

"It's what you deserve!" Asuna practically growled, her hair messed up, a fine sheen of sweat covering her body, and a flushed red face. Beside her stood a glum looking Naruko. "And I'm not this Sakura person!" Asuna finished.

"You're not supposed to be up here," Asakura whispered to Naruto, prompting him to take a better note of his surroundings.

When his eyes locked with the wide eyes of Takane, he immediately shouted, "Focus on the match!" prompting the blond high school girl to twist around and try to avoid another laser beam.

However, it was too late, and the blast hit her directly.

"Waah, Takane-chan!" Naruto shouted. "Are you okay?" he called worriedly into the smoke that the last blast had created. A guilty feeling caused his stomach to twist up into knots. If she lost now, it would be because he distracted her.

"Don't worry," Hakase told the frenzied if worried audience. "There is no danger of her losing her life. Power out put still sucks."

One of the two super geniuses of 3-A was proven correct moments later, as he smoke began to clear and Takane was revealed to be more or less okay.

Her body was still mostly obscured, but her face showed only anger as the mage glared at the robot. "I'll show you not to mess with me!" she shouted as the rest of the dust cleared, revealing her damaged clothes. Only the very top of her chest was still covered, revealing a good deal of her breasts exposed. Luckily for her, a small piece of fabric covered her crotch, but that was it. Standing directly behind Takane, Naruto had an unobstructed view of her pale ass cheeks.

The poor girl looked down on herself and immediately reddened in embarrassment. That embarrassment quickly turned into fury though, as a dark shadow surrounded her arm and Takane punched the robot out of the ring and into the surrounding water, where it began to sink.

Very soon, Asakura began her countdown, though there was little expectation of a comeback.

Meanwhile Takane crouched over in a feeble attempt to hide her naked body from the crowd. Her eyes met Naruto's, and he immediately began to take off his red Sage robe, ready to offer it to her when she could leave the stage.

She didn't even wait that long, and, without hesitation, bolted to Naruto. The blond hadn't even taken off his coat yet when Takane arrived. Crashing into him, she used the ninja's body to cover herself, and then with a twist, wrapped his robe around herself as she turned.

In the end, Takane used one hand to hold the rather tight robe closed, her back pressed against Naruto's front.

"You couldn't of waited a few seconds?" a slightly red faced Naruto asked semi-jokingly.

"No!" the blond mage snapped. "I will not expose myself one second longer than necessary!"

"That's fine," Naruto agreed readily enough. "I'm just surprised you trust me so much."

Takane frowned. "I don't think you'll try anything; after all, I know you, if only for a little while. And if it's you…" she whispered the last so quietly not even Naruto could hear it.

"Takane-chan…" Naruto began.

"We met a couple of weeks ago, and have seen each other a few times since then," Takane declared. "If you want to ignore certain things, that's fine, but I refuse to ignore the fact that we have met before now. Is that clear!" she asked sharply.

"Yes ma'am," Naruto answered crisply, a small grin on his face.

"10!" Asakura finished. "And with Takane-san at six, the match goes to the girl taking refuge in contestant Naruto's arms!" Kasumi fanned out one hand to gesture at the two.

"Lucky bitch!" was shouted out from one of the girls in the audience, prompting a few chuckles.

"Now, how do we get out of here without exposing my body?" Takane asked herself, her mind racing.

"Leave it to me," Naruto told her. Making a hand seal in front of Takane, they both simply disappeared in a swirl of wind and leaves.

"And now, it's time for a short break in proceedings while the stage undergoes repair," Asakura informed the people watching, pointing out the five foot hole in the arena, as well as the other smaller holes dotted on the stage. "See you soon!" she waved.

* * *

A/N: Hmm, perhaps I wasn't clear on something. When I say Naruto wasn't abused, I mean physically. Emotionally? Most definitely suffered abuse. Any confusion on that point is my fault.

On the Eva vs Naruto fight. I don't think I have to explain anything, but I acknowledge some things are implied, but not actually stated. For example, when Naruto got out the wire and explosive notes, he also got out a smoke bomb and stuffed it down his sleeve, or that the wires wrapped around Naruto's neck were his own, and had done it when Eva was down from his punch. Oh, and that Eva is still a novice when it comes to Jutsu, so hasn't got used to them yet. Stuff like that. If anyone really needs a standard shounen step by step how-why-when, I'll try to sort one out for next chapter, but I thought it was pretty simple, so didn't bother.

Magic

I've been using the term for awhile, but just realized I've never gone over it/them.

Magister Magi is a male master in a Pactio, while Magistra Magi is a female master. Minister Magi is a male partner, while Ministra Magi is a female partner. A canon example of each would be Nagi, Cocone, Rakan and Asuna.

Naruto's Pactio - _Tonus _- colour

_Luteum _- Orange

_Directio _- direction

_Centrum - _Centre

_Astralitas_ - astrology sign

_Virtus - _Virtue

_Fides _- Faith

_Propugnator Improvisus -_ Unpredictable Defender

The artifact and its abilities will come later. I'd like to thank Daughter of ether (again) for the help with translations.

Jutsu:

_Kawarimi no Jutsu - _Body Replacement, or simply Substitution

_Bunshin _- Clone


End file.
